Blood on their hands
by Kyae
Summary: Akira Sohma always knew she was different - apart from turning into a bird, I mean. And when she meets 'god' for the first time, she begins to understand why... This is her story of love, betrayal... and of death.
1. The First Betrayal

**Hiya all furuba fans. As you've probably guessed, I've gone around editing my story summaries and author notes, so I hope you like the new layout - its an awful lot better for me to write this way rather than going around thinking of different stuff each chapter!**

**In them I'll have the summary, and then any extra comments or 'thank you's' I'd like to mention.**

**So yeah - on with the summary. The first part is the summary for the entire story, and then they'll be a section for each individual chapter. At the end of each chapter there will be a little preview to the next chapter.**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_I never imagened that I would be the one to start off all these events, but looking back on it all... well it's only **too** clear... it was only too clear that **I** was the betrayer..._

**This is going to be my longest fanfiction - I've already planned over thirty chapters, so I hope you stick with it all. Akito is probably my favourite character - so I decided to portray him (as I am using the anime version) as a more misunderstood character...**

**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing this for you all!**

**Kaytii/**

**P.S. Feel free to ask about anything you don't understand, or even to just tell me that there is something missing in it... ^_^**

**Also, I ask humbly if all my readers will join my community, when i shall post more stories onto it, and also my forum - which will be the proceeds to another story when some of my others are nearing their end - its called "the outsiders" and it's about... well just please just check it out!**

**DISCLAIMER: Until I take over the world in 2012 (which may or may not happen) I do not own fruits basket. :(**

* * *

**Blood on Their Hands**

**The Innocence of Childhood: The First Betrayal…**

_I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me… to _us_…_

… _A hand against my throat…_

… _A dagger brandished at the others…_

… _My family competing to free me…_

… _A life about to end…_

_The crowd watching on just didn't understand – not one of them, not even my beloved brothers, or even my love truly understood, which was why it had all come down to this…_

_Why could they not just understand that this decision was on I had made out of my own free will, not by force…?_

_Why couldn't they just respect my choice and _leave me alone_?_

_This was the only place I had ever truly felt welcome…_

… _A patter of feet…_

… _A slicing _thud_…_

… _A piercing scream…_

_All I had ever wanted was to be close to him – I had my reasons even if they didn't understand them. After all, they didn't see the past events in the same way that I had, because they were blinded by their fear, and couldn't see his other side…_

_And _that_ is why all this has happened…_

… _A loosening of hands, of bonds…_

… _Screams as we both fell to the ground, in pain…_

… _My life lost to the dagger…_

_If only they could understand…_

… _Understand that I had _wanted_ to go to him, to be with him…_

… _That I had _allowed_ him to erase my brothers' memories semi-permanently…_

… _That I had decided, long ago, what my fate would be…_

… _A scream in the darkness…_

… _The smell of blood…_

… _The __**stench of **_**death**_…_

_As the blood spread out over the floor, I could feel my entire being collapse as I realised what had now happened, right here, right now…_

… _What __**my family**__ had done…_

_I stayed there, feeling pain I had only once known before, as the light slowly faded from his dark eyes, leaving both his eyes and face somewhat less destructive than they had been in life – but that was _no_ trade for me – I wanted the originals back… I would give anything to have them back._

… _A hand on my shoulder…_

… _The tears of mourning…_

… _The end on an era filled with light… and darkness…_

… _Hope… and despair…_

… _Life…. and death…_

_And now it was over, the bond was severed…_

… _But we were all left with blood on our hands…_

… _And I was left with a story of love, and hope… and betrayal…_

_----------------------------------'Kira's POV-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Ten Years Earlier…

"Momma…? Where are we going…?" I looked up to see my mother; a slight figure dressed entirely in black, and noticed that, although she was trying to hide it from me, under her netted veil she was crying. "I… I'm sorry momma… please don't cry… I… I didn't mean to be inconsiderate… momma… please don't be upset with me… momma…?"

"Hmmm…?" My mother looked down in a daze, seeming to only realise then that I was there, and quickly crouched in front of me, pulling my tearful gaze to meet her mirrored one. "Darling, it isn't your fault! Today… Today is just a sad day, and momma was just a little overemotional… okay…?"

"O… okay momma…" I stood in silence in front of my mother as she placed a thin black veil over my pinned hair, completely obscuring my identity from the poisoned glares of the other patrons.

"Darling, you don't need to go into the church; especially since Ren-san will be there. Why don't you go to the playground and keep Yuki-kun Company? I'm sure that you'd rather be in the playground then in this service. Just… Just promise me that you will stay there until I call you, and that you won't run off."

"Sure momma… but… but are you not going to say 'hi' to Yuki-kun first? You haven't seen him since New Year's, and that was _months_ ago!"

"Darling you _know_ why I can't… If Ren-san realised that a child of mine was so close to where she resides… she may decide to… have… I can't let that happen! I can't… and he can't know about it either… not if he wants to be 'happy'… And if I'm harsh to him… and command him to go back to Akito-sama… it's only so that he is protected from her… Akito sama _is_ the only one who can contain him mother, after all…"

"I know there's a reason for it all momma… only… It does make Yuki-kun so lonely though… I can see it so clearly in his eyes…" I trailed off pensively, knowing it would just cause mother more pain if I continued.

"I… I know darling… and I don't wasn't him to be like that… only…" Momma stopped to collect herself before continuing. "… now go along darling… tell… tell Yuki-kun I say 'hello' to him… and… and… and that I love him… I'll be back in a few hours…"

She kissed my forehead, and, for a moment before she stood up, I saw gentle tears form in her eyes. As she hurried off into the Sohma's private chapel I watched the crowds all gather into the building. No one paid any attention to me, and I didn't want any at all so I decided to make my way to the playground and join Yuki-kun.

As I approached the gate I paused for a moment, looking in and seeing my younger brother, the six-year-old Yuki Sohma sitting alone on a swing, watching the other children playing on the field next to the park and churchyard. The other children were screaming in joy as they chased each other around the field, having so much fun with each other that I couldn't help but wish that I could join them. And from the unguarded look on my brother's face, it was obvious that he wished that he could join them too, but even still, there was something that was stopping him, some invisible force holding him back…

"Yuki-kun..?" I carefully opened the gate and went to him slowly, not wishing to startle him and send him completely back into the 'shell' he had around him. I watched closely as he made to reply to my words, but then stop himself as he remembered something, glancing around fearfully, as if someone was watching him, spying on his every action, and waiting to report every mistake to some invisible foe…

"Do you want to play Yuki-kun…?" I had reached my little brother by then, and could almost touch him I was so close, but instead I sat upon the swing that was next to him, and waited for his reply…

… But it never came…

… Little Yuki was _never_ rude, it just wasn't in him, and I could see clearly that he _wanted_ to talk to me, and answer my questions, and play with me; his pleading eyes told me that, but for some reason he wouldn't speak to me…

… Or _couldn't_ speak to me…

"Yuki-kun… are you _allowed _to play with me… or even talk…?" I was almost fearful to ask that last question, after all, if you weren't allowed to even _talk_, how could you have fun, or even be in the company of others, and it would force you to always be alone…

It took a few minutes for Yuki to muster up an answer, but it seemed like hours. However, when he did answer, I was surprised to hear how _frail_ his young voice had become, his asthma obviously affecting its tones considerably… as well as his fear…

"I… I'm not… I'm not supposed to talk to… or… or p… play with anyone… A… Akito-sama forbade it…"

How could someone do that? Force a little child to isolate himself, even if the person giving the orders _was_ the Head of our family…?

"But I'm not just _anyone_ Yuki-kun… I'm your _sister_! Akito-sama didn't keep you from talking to me specifically… did he…?"

"He…" I could see that Yuki was struggling to express himself; he was, after all, two whole years younger than me! He tenderly closed his eyes and whispered his confession." He… he doesn't know that I have a sister… and barely even knows that you exist… Father refused to let mother tell him…"

So my parents had even tried to hide me from the head of the family? How strange…

"Then it will all be _fine_, come on! You must be SOO bored just sitting there all on your lonesome!"

I didn't wait for his shy response this time; I just pulled Yuki off the swing before pushing him up to the top of the climbing-frame, and down the slide there. And, strangely enough… he was actually _happy_! Chasing me back up the frame, he had a _true smile_ on his face, and, at least for now, all his cares were gone.

We played together for hours, and even spoke to some of the other children for a while, who were curious to who I was, although I didn't really know why… However, as the sun set they were each collected by their guardians, and eventually we were left alone again, reminiscing over our youth, and playing tag on the climbing frame…

"Hey, Yuki-kun! Watch this!" I called to him gleefully as I ran to the top of the frame and gracefully leaped off it, spinning around in sheer pleasure as the winds carried me around the deserted playground.

"Oneechan! Please don't do that! You could hurt yourself…!" He shouted back at me, running quickly to where I had been, his concerned glance now transforming into one of relief as he saw that I was fine, and happy.

"I'm not falling Yuki-kun – I'm _flying_! I am the Tori after all! Hehe…" I span around happily, slowly moving closer to the gate, although I didn't realise it. Yuki laughed along with me, but suddenly he stopped, a fear I had never seen before coming into his eyes rapidly, spreading through his entire being like a poison…

"Yuki-kun, what is it…?" I whispered as I realised that the object of his stark terror was behind me, and I was about to crash into that person and transform… and I couldn't do a thing to stop myself, and protect the secret…

… And so I crashed straight into him, and ended up face to face with a boy of around my age…

… And I didn't transform…

Was this boy a member of the zodiac too? I mean, I already knew the Nezumi (mouse) and the Hebi (snake), my brothers being possessed by them, as well as the Inu (dog) and the Ryouko (dragon), after seeing them with my niisan all the time. So was this boy also one of the zodiac… or was he something more…

I tried to speak to him, to apologise, but the boy cut in first, his surprisingly cold voice sending slight tremors down my fragile bird-like spine…

"Yuki-kun… I thought I had told you not to speak with _anyone_… or was I mistaken…?" His voice was chilling, but a nice chilling, like a cool drink, at least for me, not harsh exactly, but cool, calm… _comforting_… though it seemed to have exactly the opposite effect upon Yuki…

"N… no… Akito-sama… I… I'm sorry… I… I didn't mean to… to disobey you…"

"Yet you still did Yuki-kun… I'm _very_ disappointed in you… you know what will happen because of that… Enough of that _for now_, who is _this_?" His sudden change of topic caused both Yuki and I to falter for a brief moment, and I suddenly became much, _much_ more aware of the fact that this boy – Akito-sama was still holding onto me, from when I had crashed into him seconds before.

"Oh… this is… is…" Yuki faltered again, unable to put my name into words – after all, the service that Akito-sama, my mother and Ren-san had attended with other Sohma's was in honour of my namesake… "… My sister, the… the Tori of the Juunishi…"

For some reason, what Yuki said caused Akito-sama to smirk slightly, as his grip upon me tightened slightly, and his voice softened, no longer containing the poisoned tone that it had possessed before when talking to Yuki…

"So this is _**my**_ precious Tori…" Strangely, I shuddered at the words, and the way he phrased them, knowing at once that they were completely true… "… It is an absolute _pleasure_ to finally meet you… It's been too long… **far too long**… how could people keep us apart…?"

"The pleasure is all mine, Akito-sama…" Quickly I stepped out of his tight embrace and swept into a graceful bow, careful to show the correct respect to him, especially so that Yuki wouldn't get into any more trouble…

… But there was something about Akito-sama that instantly drew me nearer to him, and even though fear of him ran through my veins, due to my 'inheritance', it wasn't the same fear that ran through the blood of my brothers', and the other Juunishi…

"And what is your name, my Tori…?" He took a step towards me, and I couldn't help but take a step forward as well, so that, again, we were face to face. I could feel the Juunishi spirit inside me leap up for joy, and couldn't help but leap along with her – I felt so happy, even though I was terrified at the same time.

"M… my name is…"

"'Kira… 'KIRA…! It's time to go home now honey; the car is waiting!" Mother cut ink just in time, using my shortened name, for which I was thankful for, although I didn't fully understand why. It just seemed right for events to happen this way.

"I'm coming momma; please just give me a moment." I replied to her before turning back to Akito-sama and Yuki. "Sumimasan Akito-sama, but I must leave now…"

I looked away from Akito-sama's gripping gaze to address my brother, who was still shivering in a corner of the frame, trying vainly to stay out of everyone's attention…

"Yuki-kun…? Momma asked me to tell you that she loves you n… no matter what she may do or say sometimes… please remember that, o… okay?"

As soon as I had finished speaking I ran over to my mother, the strange feeling I had experienced before with Akito-sama now completely out of my system now.

"Bye, bye Yuki-kun, Akito-sama!" I smiled joyfully at them, completely ignorant of the meaning of what had just happened as my mother pulled me gently away to the waiting car, where the man driving waited for us, glaring slightly at me.

"Are you ready to go yet?" He half snapped, half whined at us as we entered the car, and waited to leave this place. Something had to stop us from moving on, of course, and it came in the guise of one of Ren-san's maids, running up to the car and banging urgently upon mother's window, demanding it to be scrolled down.

"What do you want?" The man snapped at the newcomer, but she just ignored him completely, addressing my mother instead of him.

"Sohma Misaki-san, Ren-san wishes to see you as soon as possible… she has asked me to tell you that the request is non-negotiable; she won't take 'no' for an answer…" The woman then glanced to the back of the car, and saw me there, sitting perfectly still and silent, lest I be shouted at. "She… she also commands that you bring the girl with you when you come… she wishes to speak with her after she has seen you."

I glimpsed at my mother's face in through the mirror as she was spoken to, and, like always, it was perfectly stern, cold, and unreadable, a skill I had inherited from her, one I had always found useful when I was being bullied in Europe…

"I… _we'll_ be there. Tell Ren-san that we are coming." My mother's voice only faltered once, and because of that I felt immensely proud of her, even though I was terrifies of actually meeting with Ren-san.

As the car pulled out of the churchyard I looked longingly out of the slightly tinted back window and saw Yuki-kun and Akito-sama standing at the playground gates in complete and utter silence; it made me feel strange to see them like this. It was almost as if they were on a separate wavelength to the rest of the world, and I had felt strangely comfortable on that wavelength with them, as if I was more suited to that wavelength than on the wavelength the rest of the world lived on…

… That _would_ explain an awful lot…

"Stop staring out of the damn window and face the front girl!" I immediately snapped out of my thoughts as the man's cruel words and the voice that spoke them cut through me effortlessly… as they always had.

"Leave the child be Osamu-kun, she's only eight; she can barely understand what she is being told in this language!" My mother reprimanded min, smiling gently at me.

But I _could_ understand, and I _did_ understand what he had been saying to me, what they _all_ had been saying and implying in their words. Even though I had lived in Europe for the majority of my life, and knew Japanese only roughly, I could still tell that I was not wanted by them, my step-father especially. It didn't take full knowledge of the language to be able to tell that.

"_Child_? _That_ is no child Misaki-chan! It's a _monster_!" He snarled back at his wife, uncaring of either of our thoughts on the matter, or whether or not I understood what he was saying – and I did understand that he thought me a monster…

"Osamu-kun, you were never like this with Ayame-kun and Yuki-kun! You were _never_ bothered in the slightest by _their_… problem. So why do you always pick on little 'Kira-chan?"

"Because she _isn't_ the same as my two! Because she's _wrong_! She should just go someplace far away and _die_!"

"Don't talk like that Osamu-kun!" My mother slapped her husband roughly before turning away in disgust.

"M… momma…? … Maybe… maybe I _should_ leave momma… and leave you and Osamu-san alone… I'm sure Ayame-niisan or Yuki-kun would be fine if I lived with either of them for a while… I… I just want you to be happy…"

"_See_…! Even _it_ knows that_ it's not wanted here_! It knows _it's not loved_!"

"'Kira," My mother turned around to face me urgently. "Don't listen to him; he doesn't mean to say thing like this!"

"Y… yes he does momma…" I looked her in the eyes steadily, now fully knowing the truth of the matter… now no longer hiding from what I knew to be the truth… "And why shouldn't he…? It _is_ the truth, and we can't do anything about it, no matter how much we may want to…"

After all, we all knew it to be the truth, even though we hid it, but I had resigned myself to that truth a long time ago…

After my realisation was spoken we sat in silence for the journey to end. We all had our own ways of passing the time; mother worried over what Ren-san would say to her about me, her husband was dreaming about the day I was locked up in the main house for my… condition and kept away from him and mother, and I let my thoughts wander over to the day I had just had… and to Akito-sama. The Sohma's influence was world-wide and even though I hadn't lived near enough to the main house to meet Akito-sama while I was in Japan, the gossip that I had heard from the maids and other 'insiders' created an almost _legendary_ tale about him.

_Everyone_ that I had met revered Akito-sama, saying how powerful and scary he was. I had expected him to be a tall sixteen or seventeen year old when the said he was still a boy – not _nine_! And yet… I still felt that same sensation mother and the elders had told me they had felt in his presence, but there was something else as well…

And his _eyes_… such… such _power_ they held! I could still recall their exact shape and colour, and the way that his eyes narrowed whenever things didn't go his way made me fell… do… do _strange_. But his entire being allured me, and I felt a strange yearning to be with him… even though it was the first time I had ever seen him…

"Here we are Misaki-chan. Call me when you need picking up from Ren-san's. Let's hope that the brat is taken from us Ren-san's temper, eh? He grinned at me eerily, and I pushed myself further back into my seat, glaring at him, just causing him to laugh at me some more.

"Don't Osamu-kun… Good_bye_. Come on 'Kira-chan, let's go and face the music…" Mother smiled again at me before opening my car door and leading me through the 'inside' estate, to Ren-san's home.

As we walked together I saw Akito-sama for a moment on the balcony, reaching out to a small white bird that rested on the tips of his fingers, singing joyfully, ecstatic to be with him. Instantly, although I didn't know why, a feeling of jealousy arose in my blood and made me want to kill that bird – one of my own!

"Here we are 'Kira," She told me as we were admitted into Ren-san's house (which was quite near the centre of the estate), and led to her chambers by a sombre maid. "You wait here while I talk to Ren-san… I… I'll go and get you when Ren-san requests it… be safe and don't make a fuss until then… okay…?"

"Yes momma…" Helplessly I watched my mother enter that room, not knowing what would happen in there, and not being able to do anything if something _did_ happen… I just wished that I could melt into the safety of the shadows, and away from the piercing gazes of the maids' that resided completely upon me.

For ten minutes I waited for my mother to collect me, the eerily quiet murmurs scaring me slightly – after all, I had always been taught to fear the unknown by my mother… Then I began to hear raised voices, growing louder each passing second… not my mother's familiar voice, but Ren-san's cruel, cold tones…

"YOU _DARE_ TO COME INTO _MY_ HOME AND SAY HIS LOVE FOR ME WAS _FALSE_? **WE HAD A BOND!** AND NOTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED CAN CHANGE _ANY_ OF THAT YOU BITCH!"

All I heard after that were violent thuds against the wall, and Ren-san's screams of fury that drowned out the whimpers that came from my mother in her pain… and no one was stopping it all from happening…

Frantically I looked around, silently begging the people present to help my mother, but not one of them moved at all; they didn't even acknowledge that what was happening was _real_, they just ignored it all and acted as if they couldn't hear what was happening… and didn't know _all about it_…

"Why… why aren't you going to help momma…? I asked one of the maids timidly, but she didn't reply to my query.

Not one of them even _flinched_ as my mother's pain filled scream filled the room, spreading around the house like a fire before being consumed by an eerie silence – they didn't even care that she was hurt…

… That she could _die_…

As soon as I realised what could happen I went to the door that mother had gone though and tried to force it open, but I was grabbed roughly by one of the maids, who dragged me away from the door.

"_Don't go in there!_" she whispered to me, harshly letting go, and holding my firmly by the shoulders. "It's not a good idea. If Ren-san sees you in there, your father's wish may be granted…"

"_He's not my dad!_" I sobbed, breaking free of her and curling up in a corner of the room, scared about what was happening, terrified that I would be abandoned if anything happened to my mother; I had to do _something_.

_-'Akito-sama __**is**__ the only one alive who can contain his mother…'-_

I didn't think about the sanity of my next actions – If I did I might stop and leave my mother to her fate; I just started running. Out of Ren-san's house and through the estate, retracing my steps perfectly until I arrived at the house that I had seen Akito-sama in, a house that was situated directly in the centre of the estate…

"Get back here girl! You'll just get into more trouble then you already are in!"

I didn't pause for discretion, I had no time for that - I just charged into the house, letting my bird instincts lead me to Akito-sama.

As I entered the room that was situated in the exact centre of the house, on the top floor, I saw Akito-sama and my little brother sitting there, together, a strange aura of power coming over them, consuming the room in their beauty, but I didn't have time to stop and bask in the beauty – I could only think about my mother, the danger she was in, and how to get her out of the trouble I had indirectly put her in.

"A… Akito-sama…" I whispered, running straight into him as he stood up, just like I had run into him before. "P… please… I… I need your help… please… please help me…"

Akito-sama's voice was soft as he answered my pleas, but encased in his voice was also a layer of glee, as if he were actually _happy_ to be needed by another, and that he knew he had the power to help. For my mother's sake, I hoped he did have the power I needed, after all, if he didn't…

"My dear Tori…" He tightened his grip upon me slightly, turning his hold on me into an embrace, and gently stroked my hair, almost as if he were trying to sooth my pain. "Whatever is it that troubles you? You… You are trebling…"

"Akito-sama… It's… It's Ren-san…" I watched, terrified as his once gentle face turned thunderous at the mention of her name.

"What has that woman_ done_?" He spat the words out, his nails slightly digging into my skin.

"She… she's killing momma… there… there was _screaming_… and… and the maids…"

Before I could finish my sentence, the said maid came charging into the dark room and instantly pulled me out of Akito-sama's grip, but she didn't get any further, due to Akito-sama's famous killer glare being directed at her.

"What are you doing here?" Akito-sama snarled at the unsuspecting maid. "I _thought_ I had forbidden any of _her_ lot to come near here OR near any of my own. Or does your stupidity make it so that you cannot follow a simple command from your superior? Which is it?"

The woman that held me looked uncaring at his words on the surface, her face a perfect mask, but pressed against her body I could feel her trembling, and her voice also shook slightly as she replied to his question, showing both Akito-sama and I that she was terrified of him…

"I am merely here to retrieve A… Akira-san for Madame A… Akito-sama. I m… meant no harm to any of the family…"

"Akira-san…? Is that really her name…?" Akito-sama's eyes had gone oddly cloudy as the maid nodded silently, her fear rising every second as his tone changed, to a more possessive pitch. "Give her back to me… _NOW!_"

The maid didn't hesitate to obey his commands. Although she worked for Ren-san, she had no doubt in her heart that it was better to be in disgrace from her mistress than have this child lash out in his fry at her, something he would have no problems with. So, naturally, she let go of me, and as I fell slightly forward Akito-sama caught me, and I clung to him, trying to force the tears to stay inside me, and not escape.

"Will you help my momma Akito-sama…?" I asked him, barely moving my lips.

"Yes Akira-san, I will help you, _just_ for you…" He smiled down at me tenderly before letting go of me and walking steadily to the door, where one of his maids stood to attention, waiting for his orders. "Akira-san, you may stay here with Yuki-kun if you wish until I get back, then we can go to the hospital to see your mother, how does that sound? Or do you wish to come with me now…?"

"I…" I had no idea what to do… but I couldn't face mother… at least not yet… "I'll stay here with Yuki-kun, if that's okay with you Akito-sama…"

"That's fine Akira-san, I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Thank you Akito-sama… goodbye…" I whispered as I watched him leave the room, followed by both Ren-san's maid, and his own.

I sat in silence after Akito-sama left, lost in my own thoughts, waiting, just waiting…

Then I heard a voice coming from the shadows of the room, singing an old folk song that my family had been taught ages ago, on a chilling winter night, by a traveller when I had visited Yuki at new years.

---------------Author's note-----------------------------------------

Yuki's part will be in **BOLD**, 'Kira's part will be in_ ITALLICS_

-------------End Author's note-------------------------------------

**"The shadows come out at night…**

**…waiting to draw you in..."**

It was a song I had not sung or heard in a long time, but I knew the lyrics to the tuneless song off by heart…

**"…Hope is lost…**

**…The light fades out…**

**… There's nobody here who cares…"**

The song had originated from a poem, a duet symbolising comfort and hope; however the haunting lyrics made it the kind of song not often mentioned, however beautiful it was. It was about two children, who had lost everything apart from each other during their lives, and how they tried to overcome it all. Although this was one of hundreds of poems that had made up the story, it was by far my favourite.

**"…life is cruel and hard…"**

As Yuki sang those simple words, I realised that all of this was actually how he felt; Lost, scared, _hurt_. Even though I had no idea why he felt like this, I knew I had to do something, _anything_ to ease his pain, so I sang. The melody surrounded me, and I was consumed by the tune that Yuki had put to the words, compelling me to reply with the second part, to comfort him and release him from his anguish…

_"That is not always so…"_

And even though what I was singing was from a poem, it all seemed to come _alive_, the darkness of the room now filled with an invisible light, not just because we sang, but because we sang the truth.

**"…We always fall to fear…"**

_"…I'll be there to save you…"_

I reached out to my brother, comforting him, just like I had always imagined the second person had done in the poem when it was first performed…

**"…Love is gone…"**

The melody flowed through me; even though I had never heard this variation of the poem, I automatically knew hoe the next phrase I needed to sing went.

**"…I've always known…"**

_"…That isn't so…"_

**_"…Now and forever more…"_**

As the last lines of the Stanza were sung, we sang in unison, my 'bird-like' soprano vocals melding in perfectly with his innocent treble tones, creating a perfect harmony between us.

Then I began to sing the next stanza: the stanza dedicated to hope, and comfort.

_"Let the light guide your path…_

_… Let it fill your heart…_

_… Love and hope…_

_… Are always here…!_

_… There's someone here who cares…!"_

As the first stanza of hope concluded I began the next part, and, like me, Yuki couldn't help but answer the call of the music. The invisible tune had us both ensnared in its melody.

_"Life may be cruel and hard…"_

**"I know it to be so…"**

_"…You may sometimes fall to fear…"_

**"…I am consumed by it…"**

_"…But love's not gone…_

_… It's always here…"_

**"…How can it be…?"**

_"…There's someone here for you…"_

**"…There's someone here for me…"**

The last note rang through the room; however we didn't carry on with the next stanza due to a sudden sob that came from Yuki. I looked closer into the dark room and saw him huddled into himself, shivering with fear.

"Yuki-kun… what's wrong…?" He seemed so frightened just being in this room, and when I opened my senses to it, I could feel why. The whole room was consumed with darkness, fear and pain… and it was so _cold_…

"I… I'm frightened Oneechan…" He whispered, so quietly I had to strain to hear him…. And _that_ was something. "I… I don't like this place… but he still forces me to stay here… and not speak to anyone… and… and he frightens me… when he… when he speaks…"

"Yuki-kun… what do you mean…?" I could clearly see that Yuki was afraid of Akito-sama, but when I thought about him in all his glamour, that mysterious figure with the hauntingly beautiful eyes… he was a person_ I_ could never fear…

"He… Akito-sama… he says scary things… and they're all true… I… I don't want them to be true… I… I wish I could forget them completely… b… but they _are_ true… I… I'm being consumed by them…_help me_…"

I looked down upon my little brother, so obviously terrified of our god, and I knew I couldn't just leave him alone to face his nightmares. So I placed my arms around him carefully and held him as he cried himself to sleep… drifting into a peaceful slumber that would take him from his nightmares… at least for now…

As he slept, I felt a sudden urge to sing again, to comfort this little boy in his terror and to chase away the memories that already haunted his short life, sending him into darkness.

So I sang to him.

I sang an old-fashioned lullaby my mother had sang to me when I was much younger, and it had always kept me safe and warm as a child… and it still did, singing the song in the dark room that created nightmares.

_"I will stay here while you sleep…_

_… And keep your nightmares away…_

_… You shall never know hate…_

_… I won't let it happen…_

_… I can't…"_

I stopped my singing as I saw Yuki stop struggling with himself and fall into his deep slumber, smiling his little smile.

"Your singing is just as sweet as your fellow birds Akira … sweeter, even…"

I turned my head sharply to see Akito-sama standing at the doorway on his own, a small smile that lit up his young face as he glided towards me and the sleeping Yuki. He reached me quickly and sat down next to me, wrapping his arms protectively around me, just like I had done with Yuki, and leaned his head against my shoulder.

"Akito-sama…" I whispered as we sat there. "Is… is momma better…? Will she be okay…?"

"Yes Akira, she should be fine… thankfully we got to her before _that woman_ could do any permanent damage to her." He smiled tenderly at me as he stroked my hair and raised he head up, letting me rest on him. "Come, do you not want to go and see your mother…? I can get a car whenever you want to see her… _now_ ever… if you wished to see her now that is…"

"Y… Yes please Akito-sama… but what about Yuki-kun…? Shouldn't we wake him up so that he can come with us…? I… I'm sure that he would love to see momma again… and she'd love to see him as well…"

"Don't worry about that now Akira, let him sleep… he has been quite ill recently and shouldn't be overexcited. He can come with Hatori or your brother tomorrow… okay…? Right now my little nezumi needs to rest…"

I believed Akito-sama's every word – I mean, why wouldn't I? And so when I looked down at the sleeping boy that I cradled I really did believe that he wouldn't mind if I left… And Akito-sama's soft look at us completely made my mind up – where Akito-sama went, I would go too… he seemed almost like a part of me, and I of him…

I smiled as I looked up at Akito-sama.

"Okay Akito-sama, I'll go with you to see momma…"

"Y… you know you don't have to call me Akito-'sama' all the time Akira… You're not like the other fools around here… I mean… I… I don't mind if you don't call me that…" He stumbled along his sentence as he extended his hand out to me, almost as if he had never said a think like this before…

I almost laughed at how he was blushing over saying something as simple as that.

"Okay Akii-kun!" I smiled slightly as his face softened in his blush, before I remembered the reason why we were leaving…

I grabbed the hand he had extended to me and stood up carefully, letting my little brother's body rest gently on the floor. As I followed Akito out of the dark room, I could have _sworn_ that I heard Yuki whimper in his sleep, as if having a nightmare, but the thought was gone as soon as Akito touched me and led me out of the doorway to that dark place I had been in…

… A place I was leaving Yuki in now, to suffer **alone**…

_**That was my first Betrayal.**_

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**As this fic has taken me so long to right the first chapter, I would really appreciate some reviews - if you have any querys to whats happening, just ask in the reviews - i'll be happy to answer any of your questions. thank you for reading**

**Kaytii/**


	2. A New Home

**AN: Okay, I'm on chapter two - and I'm so greatful that you all seem to enjoy this story and my setting and stuff!**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_They say he is fearsome... but i never believed it... not until I saw him defending me when I was in the greatest need of it..._

**I'd like to say in advance a MASSIVE thanks to 'kcscooter' and 'Kia Rane' for their reviews - I really am glad you love my story so far and hope it continues to keep you entertained, Thank you so so much for your comments.**

**As an answer to 'kcscooter's review, I AM trying to make the chapters shorter - I really am, I just can't help it when writing to just cary on... and on... and on... This chapter was made before the reviews, so I appologise for its immense length, but I shall try to make them shorter from chapter three!!! (09/07/09: the author of this fanfiction would like to add in here that she STILL hasn't managed to make them shorter, and so offers her condolences to any fans who have to take breaks inbetween reading each chapter of her works ^_^)**

**Thanks again to all who read and review! Here; loads of cookies for you all! :)**

**Please enjoy and review ^_^**

**Kaytii/**

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunatly my plans to take over the world went down the drain, so until I come up with more then I don't own furuba... only little Akira and the plot line... and maybe Akito's sudden personality change...**

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Blood on their Hands

The Innocence of Childhood: A new home

(LINE BREAK)

_-------------------Akira's POV-----------------------_

My life has always been different to the lives of other children my age, whether by choice or by some unnatural force. I mean, not everyone finds it a normal occurrence to turn into a bird whenever hugged by a member of the opposite gender now, do they?

That, of course made my life more… difficult than it would have been if I hadn't been cursed, but I survived; I had to, and _I wasn't alone_. That was what made the entire 'cursed' part of my life bearable. I had my brothers, Ayame and Yuki, who were also cursed, and they helped my through any and all of my difficulties. And then there was my mother, who _never_ rejected me, who _unconditionally loved me_ and didn't mind that I was cursed; who _stood by me_, and _protected me_ above herself…

…But the Sohma family curse was only part of the reason why I was different, and to be honest, it was the part that I could cope with the easiest. The other part weren't so easy to cope with…

… Like my heritage, for example…

… Like the events leading up to, and concluding from my birth…

… The events that meant that my mother was banished from the main Sohma estate by Ren-san, and was only allowed to return to the main house for New Year's…

It all meant that I was forever moving from country to country, with my mother and family for the sake of the business links they ran over in Europe. And life wasn't that bad, most of the time. I was a quick learner at languages, due to the bird spirit in me that had a keen ear and photographic memory when it came to sound, so I found it easy to mix in with a crowd as a local…

… When I was allowed to…

… Because I also got ill frequently when travelling. It wasn't an illness as most people think of when they are told, it was more like complete fatigue… I could never last more than a few months without going into complete meltdown. I would just lie there for days on end just staring at the ceiling, and not moving at all. Mother went to every doctor and physiatrist she could, but none of them could figure out why I would just collapse every now and again…

… But I, like every other Juunishi member knew why I was like this, because it was the same for all of them, so I had been told by the family doctor…

… It was due to the bonds that we were connected by, and the curse…

I never told anyone that the reason why I was always ill when out of Japan was because I needed to be near 'god' to survive… in a way I guess I was ashamed by the fact I was completely dependent on a person I had never met before… But mother found out or at least guessed a little the reason why I was ill, and so she always took me to Japan whenever she needed to go, and it at least stopped my stronger bouts of illness.

But never before had I felt so _alive_! I mean, when in Japan I often felt better than I did in Europe, or America, but never before in my life have I had such energy! Was it because I was finally in the presence of my spirits 'god'?

"You're quiet over there Akira-chan... Are you feeling alright…? Do you want us to stop for a minute?"

I looked over to my right and saw Akito sitting down, his body twisted to see me. I was shocked to see him looking at me; I had thought him asleep for the whole journey, after all, he didn't move at all.

But what I was most surprised was the expression on his face; again, it was gentle, and soft…

"I… I'm fine, Akii-kun…" I heard a gasp come from the front of the car as I addressed Akito in the new way – did they believe that Akito was only to be addressed as 'sama' or something? The way that they all said his name made it sound like it was his entire name, and not just an honorific given to the head of the family and the god of the Juunishi…

"Good, and now I come to think about it… you have a bit more colour on your cheeks then you did before – have you been ill recently…? Has it been the… _side-effects_?"

So even he noticed that I couldn't cope for long without being near him. But the way he said it made it seem like he didn't want them to be there, and that they were just a disgusting part of the curse…

"Akii-kun…?" I closed my eyes as I asked the question, fearful that he would clam up on me and hate me, and shout… "Did… did _you_ ever get side-effects from being far away from a member of the Juunishi… from… from _me_… were you ever ill because I wasn't there?"

I watched tensely as Akito screwed his eyes up and breathed in and out deeply, as if reliving a painful memory – as if having a nightmare…

"Today I have felt the most alive I have ever felt… Since meeting you this afternoon I have had so much energy… Since being reunited with the Tori of the Juunishi I… I feel complete."

I could see that it had taken a lot for the 'god' to admit his true feelings to a mere bird, but I was glad he had. Because I felt the exact same way…

"Arigatou Akii-kun. Thank you for telling me that… I feel the exact same… I always have…"

Hearing that just seemed to make Akito's face completely light up – it was as if he had never had any kind words said to him before… and it seemed to me that he hadn't…

"You do?" His voice was completely enshrouded in doubt, and hope, as if he could barely bare to have any hope that he wasn't alone… but it still kept creeping up within himself… "I… I thought it was just me… I thought… I thought that it was just something I had to cope with, being the 'god'… I thought I was all on my own…"

"Akito… you are _never _alone." Never had I been so serious before… but I knew I needed to get it into his head – this boy who had already done so much for me… "As long as the Juunishi are alive and as long as I'm here… you won't be alone… _ever_"

"Arigatou Akira-chan…" Akito whispered before turning around and looking out of the window, watching the rain thunder down upon the car as it drove into the reserved spot for Akito's car.

"Akira-chan, you go with Hatori to see your mother, okay?" He addressed to me and the man that had just got out of the passenger seat. "If anything happens to her…"

The last threat was directed at the other man, and I couldn't help but shiver along with him; the way Akito said those words… it made them come to life, almost…

"Don't worry Akito-sama, I'll make sure she gets there without any hindrances; what's a father's reputation for if it isn't to get through a hospital such as this with convenience?"

"I know I can rely on you, my Ryouko… I shall be up to the ward in a few minutes; I must go and find your father, to collect some details no one else could seem to find… the idiots…"

As Akito left to go through to the public sector of the Sohma hospital, Hatori-san grabbed my hand and led me through the hospital to the private wards on floor 16 – rooms which cost over a £1000 a night to have treatment in, and that were reserved only for the highest of the Sohma officials. But why was my mother allowed in one of those rooms? I mean, I know all her children are 'cursed', but that didn't make a parent automatically eligible to have a room here, only that the children did…

"How long have you been here Akira-chan…? At the Sohma estate, I mean…" I looked up to see the boy, Hatori sating at me with a strange expression on his face; as if he were trying to figure me out…

"Umm… truthfully…? About a day… maybe less than that… why…?" I looked at him again, wondering why he was asking me something like this… How did it change anything if he knew how long I had been at the estate for…? Or did he really want to know how long I had known Akito for…

"Remarkable…" He only said one word, just to himself, but it seemed to hold so much _meaning_ for him… why?

"What's remarkable Hatori-san…?" I replied to him, making him realise he wasn't alone.

"Hmm…? O… nothing really… just… I… I've never seen Akito-sama… so… _calm_… I suppose…"

I just smiled at that… It showed that even the supposedly 'wisest' of the Juunishi, the Dragon, couldn't comprehend their god… it was such a waste…

"Hatori-san! Akito-sama never said that you were coming too, I'm sorry about our lack of organisation of all this." An old nurse came bustling in, greeting Hatori like an old colleague… "I must say, It is a great honour to have one of the _Juunishi_ (she whispered that) visit our hospital; it's almost as great an honour as when Akito-sama visits himself! And who is this Hatori-san… _another_…?"

"Forgive my rudeness Satomi-san. Akira-chan, this is Satomi Sohma, the chief of nursing at our private hospital. Satomi-san," He lowered his voice, so that none of the other staff could hear. "_This_ is Akira Sohma, the long awaited Tori of the Juunishi. "

"Hello Satomi-san, thank you for looking after my mother." I bowed shyly as I spoke, nervous about the reverence I was getting just for being possessed by the Tori.

"We are here to see her mother, Misaki Sohma. Would you be able to show us to her room please Satomi-san?"

"Of course Hatori, please, follow me…"

I followed Hatori and Satomi through the wards, each corridor more luxuriously furnished than the next until we got to a room in the centre of the wards, a long window showing us the inside of the room. I moved to the doorway and opened the door slightly, looking in sheepishly. There I saw my mother, lying on the bed, completely motionless and hooked up to hundreds of machines. I could hardly bare to see her like this; so… so… _helpless_, her once firm, unmovable face gone, leaving in its place a face that was soft…peaceful… _vulnerable_.

"She looks a lot worse than she actually is Akira-san…" The nurse whispered to me, as if reading my thoughts. "We got to her in time to stop any life threatening injuries from taking effect on her. The worse she'll have is some broken ribs and a few scars; she'll be back to normal in a few weeks, a month tops. You don't need to worry… Hatori-san? May I have a word with you about… you know…?"

"Of course Satomi-san; Akira-chan, I'll leave you to be with your mother in private. I'll just be down the corridor if you need anything urgently, okay?" Hatori turned to me before following Satomi-san to her office and leaving me on my own…

…well, not _quite_ on my own…

There, leaning against the wall farthest from me, with a smug smirk and cold glare on his face, stood Osamu.

"Are you happy now?" He demanded as I shrank back against the doorframe, looking around timidly for someone to shelter behind… but there was no one there to help me against the onslaught that was guaranteed to come. "Are you happy that you've finally got your mother hurt?"

"N… no… I… I never wanted _this_… I never wanted _any_ of this…" I stuttered as he came closer to me.

"But it's YOUR fault that it's all happened, _and you know it_." His smirk had turned into a grin and I just wished I could run, but I was frozen against the doorframe, unable to move… unable to run…

…unable to scream…

"I… I didn't do any of this though… I didn't _ask_ for it all to happen…"

I didn't ask for any of this – I never wanted any of this! I truly didn't! I… I _loved_ my mother… why would I want her to be there, lying in a hospital bed…?

"Maybe not directly, but it is still your fault. If you hadn't been born, then none of this would have happened… we'd still be in favour with all the elders, and we wouldn't have been forced to stay abroad while all the other Juunishi families got to swan around in their mansions and fancy cars…"

Was that all he cared about? Posh houses… Expensive cars… High positions in the family…

… Not the woman, his _wife_ that was lying in hospital, _half dead_!

"How can you say all that while momma is lying in the room next door, unconscious?" I whispered, disgusted by Osamu's lack of concern for his own wife, and his complete selfishness. "How can you talk about possessions and ranking in families above your own wife's health? How can you…?"

"Easily girl!" He grinned at me evilly before carrying on. Never had I hated the man as much as I did now; words could not describe the loathing that ran through my blood. How could he be the same man that had fathered my brothers'; how could he be so different from them all. Even Ayame, who we rarely saw loved momma more than _this_… "Your _mother_ betrayed the family. Do you think I would be able to stand there if I actually _cared _for her? Surely you must have realised by now that our marriage is one of convenience… I couldn't care less if the woman _dies_…"

"Don't talk about momma like that… it's sickening..."

I couldn't help myself – I punched him. Not the 'knock-out' punch that I would have _loved_ to have been able to give him, but one hard enough to make him wince… but that just made things worse. In a blind temper he grabbed onto my wrists and twisted them roughly, causing me to squeal in pain.

"Sickening?" He whispered threateningly. "You think _I'm_ sickening? Take a good look at yourself! _You turn into a bird _for goodness sake! You're not normal! It's all punishment for us! If it weren't for you then we would be living a peaceful RICH life. Say you're sorry!"

At that moment Hatori burst out of the office that he was in and pulled Osamu off me.

"Stop shouting Osamu-san, you're not helping anyone! Calm down!" Hatori raised his voice slightly, using the power of the dragon's voice to try and calm Osamu down, but it was to no avail; he just kept struggling, letting his temper take over him in his blind rage.

"Calm down? While that _brat_ is still walking on this world? Never! It's all her fault! Say you're sorry! SAY IT! SAY THAT YOU'RE SORRY!"

I couldn't help myself; I just started crying. Why? Because it _was_ my fault. Even if people kept trying to keep the truth from me; I still found out. No one could hide the truth forever. Not from me.

"I… I'm sorry Osamu-san… I… I'm sorry that momma's in hospital… but… I never… I never wanted it to happen… I never wanted this to happen… I never chose for this to happen… you can't blame me for existing… I couldn't control that…"

I had always wanted to live a happy life, with momma and Ayame-niisan, and Yuki-kun, _without_ Osamu there to spoil my life, and without the curse to keep me away from being _myself_. But I knew it was never going to happen, and so I had to do the best with what I had… although sometimes I wished that I _could_ get rid of a few of the… nuisances in my life…

But I never would be able to; I had resigned myself to _that_ as well.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID CHILD! IT'S ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN! IF YOU DIDN'T EXIST MISAKI WOULDN'T BE LYING IN THAT HOSPITAL BED HALF DEAD!"

As Osamu was shouting I looked behind him, at the movements in the shadows. I had never seen anything quite like it before. Even though he was barely a year older than me; Akito looked like a being from heaven… and he truly lived up to the 'god' title he had been cursed with. He was both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. It was amazing.

"Hello Osamu..." he whispered, standing just behind Osamu, instantly causing Osamu to shiver in fear; something I had never thought possible of the stone-faced man. "I think you and I need to have a word... don't we?"

"A... Akito-sama... It's not what you think..." Osamu began to bluster, completely embarrassed to be caught in a situation such as this by the head of the family… where would all his reputation go now but down the drain?

"Go to the next room Osamu, sit down and _wait for me_. If you cause me _or any of mine_ any trouble in the process of following my commands,_ you __**will**__ regret it."_

He had saved me, yet again, he had saved me.

* * *

_-------------------Akito's POV-----------------------_

* * *

I arrived at the office in good time; not needing anyone to direct me, gosh, those blubbering idiots always thought that a boy couldn't do anything for himself. _I ran the entire stupid family_. How much more independence did they want me to be able to show?

And so I was left to pace impatiently up and down the corridor, waiting for Hiroto to finish his meeting, so I could find Akira and her mother again, and get those stupid documents signed. Why couldn't one of the other stupid elders get the signatures? I was too busy! Never before have I wished so much to see the doctor before – and it frustrated me. Why couldn't, the one time I actually _wanted_ him to be on time, the man hurry up? It was almost as if he _knew_ that I would be vexed not being up there...

Finally, it seemed one of the nurses in the office had finally got fed up with hearing my pacing and went out of the office to send me away.

"Shouldn't you be with your mother, young man?" The incompetent excuse for a nurse patronisingly asked me as she exited Hiroto's office with a bundle of medical supplies.

I decided to reward her absolute lack of respect for me by returning her attitude back to her – _no_ _one_ speaks to _me_ like that and gets away with it, after all. I am the head of the family after all, even if I'm only nine years old, and they should realise it!

"I wouldn't be seen dead with that pathetic excuse for a woman who dares to call herself my _mother_ for your information." I snapped at her, causing her to pause for a second in surprise at my rudeness. She evidently didn't like people speaking to her like she spoke to them! I didn't care if she knew or didn't know what that woman had done today and had done in her entire pitiful existence, and, to be truthful, I didn't care; the woman still shouldn't be snooping into **my** family business!

"Come on Hiroto! (Hatori's father)" I raised my voice so that all the people in the office could hear that I didn't care what a meaningless nurse tried to tell me what to do, and that I wouldn't have anyone keep me waiting, while trying to keep any dignity and not appear like a child. "I've had enough of the staff at this hospital and their patronising airs and graces. If I don't leave this area and these tiring practitioners _now_ then I'll send off for a health inspector to come and shut this hell-hole down, and make sure none of these people can ever get a job in medicine again."

It felt immensely good to see the patronising smile of that nurse drop right off her face as she realised that I wasn't bluffing at all, or at least, was very good at acting. _Finally_ a place I could show off my authority to people who just thought that I was a spoilt child. How wrong they were...

"Don't talk to Sohma-san like that child..." The woman shrieked at me, but Hiroto cut her off.

"I'm sorry that you were kept waiting Akito-sama," The look on the other doctors and nurses' faces were priceless as they realised and digested that _I_, a 'little' boy was more superior than the well respected, _rich _Doctor Hiroto Sohma. "I am afraid I must postpone this meeting for a future date, ladies and gentlemen..."

"Oh don't bother about that Hiroto; you'll just make these tiresome idiots _more_ idiotic. Just tell me where Akira-chan and her mother are at the moment and I'll go myself; _I don't need babysitting_." The last sentence was directed at the other people in the room with him, the room I had just entered without 'permission' and gone straight to Hiroto in. The looks of shock on their faces as I showed my most commanding side was terribly amusing, as I smirked at them.

"Very well Akito-sama, I shall find out which room Misaki-san is situated in right away. Rei-kun, would you mind taking Akito-sama to the private wards on floor 16? One of the nurses will be waiting for you both to show you to Misaki-san's room."

"Thank you Hiroto. It's nice to have _someone_ pay the right respects in this damn building. Maybe, for your sake, I won't have it shut down... yet..."

And with that I left the room, leaving all the others to make what they wanted out of me.

Then I heard one specific comment and changed my mind on what I was to do.

"Hiroto-san... who _is_ that brat? He acts as if he's _god_ or something!" _that_ made me smirk, but it didn't mean I would let him get off saying that about me _that_ easily...

"What is your name Doctor?" I snapped at the incompetent man as I re-entered the room, annoyed.

"E...errm..." The man spluttered, obviously not realising that I could have heard his comment, but all the same, flustered. I suppose having a nine-year-old demanding your name would make you like that. "Johan Kantamo..."

I smirked as he trailed off, obviously not knowing _quite_ how to address me…

"My name is Akito Sohma, the _Head of the Sohma family_, Johan Kantamo," I smirked as his face went pale; _finally_ realising to whom he had just called a _brat_. "I would advise you to start packing now, Johan; after all, you won't be working at this hospital, or indeed any that have my family as patrons for a _very _long time. Is that clear?"

I smiled patronisingly at him as all the other staff present realised that a nine-year-old child actually was going to have their superior transferred to a different hospital without so much as a protest from anyone, including the chief of medicine at the hospital; Hiroto Sohma.

"Y... yes S... Sohma-sama...p... perfectly clear... I... I didn't mean any disrespect..." The Idiot blustered as he tried to dig himself out of the trouble he was in.

"It's too late for that now, Kantamo. You should have thought before you spoke." I sneered back at him.

Leaving everyone again, I stalked off to the other end of the hospital, to the private ward that I had been so often been forced to attend due to my illness, the nurse that had been sent to accompany me stumbling blindly after me, trying to keep up while appearing dignified. Idiot.

"Can you please tell me where Misaki-san is situated at the present time?" I asked the nurse, whom I instantly recognised as a Sohma who had attended to me when I was here.

"Y... Yes Akito-sama..." She bowed low, and I returned her gesture, pleased to see the nurse behind me was shocked again at the behaviour of her fellow nurses and doctors; even the elite in this hospital who only attended on the highest ranking Sohma's. "It is indeed a pleasure to see you looking so much better... It surely is a blessing on the family!"

"Thank you Satomi-san, it is due to the return of my last... and of course, your excellent nursing." Only the nurse in question knew what I meant, and I could see her eyes light up. Anyone who knew and accepted the Juunishi would have felt the same; having a complete set was a once in a millennia occurrence, after all, and they had never all been there _with_ their god before.

"You can leave now Nurse Rei. Only Sohma's are permitted on this floor." The chief nurse told the woman that had accompanied me, and she left bumbling and flustered, completely embarrassed to have the chief nurse speak to her like that. "I apologise most profoundly for my staff's total lack of respect for you Akito-sama. I assure you, they won't be on the payroll for long! And the last one…? Would that happen to be that lovely young lady that came here just a few minutes ago with Hatori-san…?"

"Thank you, I know I can rely on you when it comes to respect and all those who don't give it. Don't blame yourself though for what has happened; you can't control them... unfortunately... and yes; Akira is the last of mine, the beautiful Tori…"

"Yes, she truly _was_ beautiful Akito-sama... this way to Misaki-san's room; I'm afraid to tell you that there's somewhat of a... disturbance there between a man and the child... he won't stop, even though we have tried to restrain him... I just thought you ought to know… I believe it is a situation only _you_ can control… his lack of respect for his wife and child is _most_ disgraceful!"

Akira. That man was attacking _my_ Tori?

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID CHILD! IT'S ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN! IF YOU DIDN'T EXIST MISAKI WOULDN'T BE LYING IN THAT HOSPITAL BED HALF DEAD!"

How dare he speak to her like that!

How could he so easily attack a _child_?

It was sick how he was pushing all his blames onto her, and she couldn't do anything about it...

... But _I_ could...

"Hello Osamu..." I whispered behind him, instantly causing him to shiver in fear. "I think you and I need to have a word... don't we?"

'_Stay calm Akito_._ Don't worry Akira... don't rip him apart until she's safe...'_

"A... Akito-sama... It's not what you think..." The Fool blustered, embarrassed to be caught in a situation such as this by me.

"Go to the next room Osamu, sit down and _wait for me_. If you cause me _or any of mine_ any trouble in the process of following my commands,_ you __**will**__ regret it_." I kept my tones even – if I lost my temper here it would cause more damage than good... and no matter what the others thought – I _did_ want to do good...

As soon as the fool had left the corridor and gone into the room next door I turned to Akira.

"A... Akira-chan... Are... are you alright...?"

I had dealt with many things before with a blank face and a smart answer for every question thrown at me; dealing with the business, the problems with _that woman_, even my father's death. But never before had I been speechless over seeing a weeping child. No one had ever affected me as much as this child who looked so much like...

"I... I... I'll be fine... really Akii-kun... J... Just give me a few minutes p... please..."

"Okay… it seems as if your mother is waking up now Akira-chan… why don't you go and see her; I'm sure she must be _very_ worried after seeing that… disturbance. I shall return after I have dealt with that… man…"

As soon as Akira had entered the room her mother was in I stormed into the room next door. I was absolutely _furious_ that this man had _dared_ to come and attack one of my own. How could a man be so foolish as to think he would be able to get away with doing something like that? We were _protected_ because we were _chosen_, and we were by far better than he was.

And I would make sure that neither he, nor any other stupid idiot would hurt any of my Juunishi _ever_ again. If he so much as _spoke_ in a tone other than reverence to any of them, then he would wish that he had _never_ been born. I would make sure of that.

"D… do you want me to go in with you Akito-sama… just in case he tries anything… illegal…?" Hatori asked as he tried to follow me into the room.

"Fine!" I snapped softly at him as I opened the door. "Just keep quiet. _I_ am going to deal with him…"

"A… Akito-sama…" The man blustered as he stood up and bowed to me, a formality which I _didn't_ return to him. "I… I am so sorry that you had to see that… I had no idea that you were here at the hospital as well…"

"Let me get this straight." I cut in, instantly pissed off by him again. "You _aren't_ sorry because you shouted at her… but because I was there to witness your complete lack of self-control. Is that correct…? Or do I have this all the wrong way round?"

"N… no Akito-sama… I… I…" He muttered, trying to think up a reason to get him out of the trouble he was in. "I… I didn't mean it to sound like that…"

It was obvious the way he was trying to cover his tracks – I mean, even _Hatori_ could tell that he was lying, which I knew via an ungraceful snort coming from behind me, which I instantly silenced.

"I'm going to ask you a question, and you are going to answer it _truthfully_, okay, because I really am curious as to why you are like this. What has my Tori done to be treated so cruelly by someone as pitifully pathetic as you? Tell me."

Evidently, this was _not_ the kind of question he had expected me to ask, and for a moment he was stuck for words until it all finally came out in a burst of anger – _just_ what I was looking for to find my answers, and to rebuff him for them. In his anger, he would let things slip up, and then he would be mere putty in my hands.

"Why do I hate her? Because that _thing_ has caused every single problem in this family! If it wasn't for that, Misaki and I would be perfectly happy, and there wouldn't be any of this. Misaki wouldn't be in hospital and my family would still be respected!"

"_Is that all you care about? Money… and possessions_?" I was furious at what he was saying; how could he be angry at someone because of insignificant things like that? "_Well let me tell you _this_ Osamu Sohma. Akira Sohma is __**innocent**__ in all this and you should really treat your daughter with a little more respect!_"

"Daughter? _My daughter?_ Is _that_ what Misaki had been telling everyone at the main house? I would have thought someone as smart as _you_ would have figured it out, Akito-_sama_!"

What on earth was he spewing out of his insignificant mouth?

… Of course she was his child…

… Unless…

Of course… That was it. She _wasn't_ his child. That was why he was like this…

… And it also explained why we were all here…

… Why _that woman_ was angry enough to put another human in hospital…

… Because the Tori was named after her father…

"I suppose it's is worthless pretending now then, isn't it?" I smiled smugly, and he fell for believing that I already knew. "And now you know why you will be moving back to Europe tomorrow on more Sohma business, and why Misaki-san might be joining you when she recovers. If you think you can use her heritage as an excuse to berate her, then you would be mistaken. You may leave now Osamu."

I watched him closely as he left, and then called him, just as he was about to leave the room.

It was time to hit him where he would feel the pain the most…

"Oh, and Osamu?" I called loftily across the room, enjoying every minute of putting this idiot in his place. "You know we support the _families_ of my Juunishi? Well, seeing as you've just proven the suspicions that the Tori _isn't _your child, I'd better get the monthly allowances redirected from your family account to her own personal account. Shame, it seems that you won't be able to afford that new home in Venice, doesn't it?"

…His pocket.

"Very well Akito-sama." Was the stiff reply, as Osamu left the room.

"Make sure that he leaves the hospital _now_ Hatori, and that he doesn't spend any time with Misaki-san. I would hate for a… accident to happen to him."

"Yes Akito, I will see to it straight away." Hatori bowed to me before leaving my alone in the room, lounging against the sofa there.

_Maybe I should go and see if Akira-chan is okay… I wouldn't want her to have to spend any more time near that fool…_

* * *

_-------------------Akira's POV-----------------------_

* * *

As soon as Osamu-san had left the corridor and entered the room next door I bowed to Akito, to thank him for doing this for me. He had already done so much for me, and he wasn't asking anything in return! He nodded in reply to my bow, indicating I could go, and I rushed straight in, so eager to see my mother again, and to apologise to her…

"Momma…" I whispered as I stood next to her, the figure of beauty that was now marked with war, and pain. "I… I'm so sorry for all of this… I'm so sorry…"

"What are you talking about 'Kira-chan…? This…? Darling, my injuries aren't your fault!"

"But… Ren-san was angry with you because of me… and Osamu-san said…"

"Don't listen to _anything_ that man tells you 'Kira-chan. He's blinded when he sees you. He can't seem to see the beautiful girl you are, and what a perfect soul you have."

"But it _is_ my fault momma… if… If I wasn't here then you wouldn't be here in hospital… If I hadn't been born… then you and Osamu would be happy…"

"I don't know about Osamu, but I certainly would _not_ have been happy if you hadn't been born! I love you honey, _all_ of you, and I wouldn't have life any other way. Yes, I had an affair with another man; the head of the family at the time, but that was _my_ fault, and _my_ problem. You didn't choose for me to have an affair. If it is any one's fault, then it is mine 'Kira-chan. You can't blame yourself for things that happened a long time before your birth."

"_Is that all you care about? Money… and possessions_?" I was shocked to hear Akito's voice so harsh; it made both mother and I flinch as we imagined what Osamu must have done to make him so angry… "_Well let me tell you _this_ Osamu Sohma. Akira Sohma is __**innocent**__ in all this…"_

Did everyone other than me and Osamu really think that I was blameless?

"You _are_ blameless though Akira-chan." Mother told me gently, trying to sooth my tears. "You always blame yourself for everything. You never should be so hard on yourself…"

"But it's how I've lived my entire life mother, how can I stop now? How can I find a way to stop…?"

"It's up to you to choose to stop honey… only you can decide to stop hating yourself…"

"Are you feeling better Akira-chan…?" I turned around to see Akito standing by the door, watching quietly as I talked with my mother.

"W… where's Osamu-kun, Akito-sama…?" My mother asked weakly, thinking about what might have happened next door…

"He's been sent home Misaki-san." Was Akito's cold reply. "He is not fit to bring up a Juunishi any more Misaki-san. I'm sorry if this will cause any problems, but I must request that Akira-chan be sent to live with someone else, a relative in Japan, perhaps? I believe it is better for her health if she remains here, rather than going to Europe with you and Osamu."

It wasn't just better for my health… it was better for _his_ as well… not that he would admit that to anyone… other than me… it was stupid pride…

"I… I'd like to stay with you and Yuki-kun, Akii-kun…" I blurted out, knowing if I thought about the idea, I would never say it. "… I… I mean… if you… if you wouldn't mind me to…

It was strange; his entire face lit up for a moment when I spoke, and I felt so happy that I had actually taken the chance to say the words… but I knew it would break my momma to have me leave; after all, I had been her only company for years, and now I was leaving her alone…

"Y… you really mean to stay here Akira-chan?" My mother's face was sad, but she knew I wouldn't change my mind, not now that I was with god… "I suppose I never should have tried to keep you from your 'god', it only made your condition worse… Akito-sama…?"

"Yes…?" He turned to face her now, genuinely intrigued as to why she was addressing him.

"I know my husband is in disgrace with you, and will most likely be sent abroad again, so he doesn't interfere with 'Kira or the other Juunishi, but… I was wondering… would it be possible if… I could stay here and work in Japan… so I can see 'Kira a little more often…"

I looked tepidly at Akito as he considered the request – after all, he still had a business to run, and he would have to find someone else to go to Europe with Osamu now… But then he turned to me.

"What do _you_ want Akira-chan? Do you want your mother to stay in Japan…?" He kept his voice unemotional during the conversation now, but I didn't know why… mother seemed to, though.

"You know, don't you Akito-sama…" She croaked, struggling to make the sound come out now, the drugs beginning to work in her system… "I… I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about that Misaki-san – it was something that happened years ago. I'm not displeased, the contrary in fact… but that doesn't affect my decision; I still leave it all to Akira-chan to decide."

"Yes please Akii-kun… please let momma stay here…" I couldn't think of any grand speeches, or memorable words, all I could ask for it was with my heart and soul…

"Then she may stay." Akito abruptly ended the conversation, heading for the door. "I have some meetings now, Misaki-san, Akira-chan. Please excuse me, I shall return tomorrow morning to collect you Akira-chan… Adiosu."

"Adiosu Akito-sama/Akii-chan…" We replied in unison, watching Akito leave with a weight off our shoulders.

How had everything turned out like this? I mean, less than twenty-four hours ago I had been sitting in that car, on the way to a memorial service for someone I had never met before, thinking that I was doomed to that existence forever. And now…

… Now I was living a whole new life, in a new country and with both old and new friends…

… Why had the fates turned my life like this?

* * *

**Thankyou for reading, please click on the button below to review if you like, or have any queations, or even want to rip apart my work :)**


	3. Stations Part 1

**AN: Hiya Everybody out there who is reading my work - it really makes it worthwhile writing to have people reading and reviewing - so I'd like to say a BIG thank you to all those who have!**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_I had thought everything would be perfect... but I had never imagined what the lives of the other Juunishi were like... and I never could have dreamed what kind of hell my brother was going through... and it is destroying me..._

**As I began to write this chapter, I wanted to stir some of the relationships that I'd already formed up, as well as introduce you to the other Juunishi that would take a part in Akira Jr's life, but the chapter began to grow so much I decided to make it two chapters, thus why it says part one. ^_^**

**This chapter is just as dark as the other two, probably even more, and I've put in a lot of clues in the storyline that will be followed up later in the story, but feel free to comment if you don't understand anything and I'll be happy to answer any and all of your questions!**

**So just sit back, relax and enjoy chapter three.**

**Kaytii/**

**Disclaimer: Hey listen guys! I've finally thought up a plan! So until it comes into effect and you see my face around everywhere on big zepalins, I don't own Fruits Basket...**

* * *

Blood on their Hands...

**The Innocence of Childhood: Stations Part 1**

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_**-------------Akira's POV, The net day, at the Hospital-------------**_

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…Promises…

…Bonds…

What are they really? I mean, there are loads of different promises made and 'bonds' created, from the day you are born and you are promised a better life by your parents, to the day you make rash promises to your friends as children, to the greatest bond of all – marriage. Humans spend their entire lives trapped under the pressure of promises and bonds, never realising that they are there, and just coping with them as best they can…

… But for me, the Juunishi and even Akito, it's different…

…We are** trapped** by promises made before the beginning of time, and joined together by bonds that we were not meant to be a part of…

… Trapped under the spell of the Jade Emperor, and the zodiac animals…

… And we can't do anything about it…

… But, like humans, we cope, we **have** to…

… In this world, its survival of the fittest, and even though we Juunishi have a slight advantage over non-possessed humans, it doesn't make us invincible…

… We still feel **pain**, and **hurt**, and **betrayal**…

… But we also feel kindness and generosity… and love…

… And that makes it all worthwhile; those brief moments of comfort… and hope that we all experience… that we share with each other; because the bond does influence our relationships… it brings us closer…

… But it can also tear us apart…

… Either way, I don't regret my decisions, because they were the best ones at the time…

… I don't regret a single part of what happened…

… And I don't regret my decision to stay with Akito, and to be by his side… forever…

… Even though it was a **betrayal**… to some…

"'Kira… 'Kira, come on, wake up…" I woke to find myself on a hospital chair, sitting down next to my mother.

"Did… did I fall asleep momma…? I didn't mean to… I wanted to be there when you woke again…" I muttered sleepily, still wanting to fall back into endless slumber… I was like my little brother in that respect…

"'Kira don't worry! I've only been awake for a few minutes, come on, the nurse brought some breakfast for you as well – it seems she think highly of you; she's been telling me about some of the Juunishi's past, and it's very interesting…

"Momma… can we leave the history lessons until _after_ I've woken up… You know I won't remember a thing if I'm asleep still." I moaned sleepily, still trying to capture the last vestiges of my sleep.

"Come on, they've brought your favourite…" My mother laughed as I snapped out of my sleepiness and grabbed a plate full of a traditional English breakfast – I couldn't stand all the stuff that people had for breakfast here, but I absolutely _adored_ the European delicacies, and this combination of bacon, sausages, eggs and toast was my all-time favourite! And it was my mission to make sure that every person in Japan had tried this meal, at least once!

I sat down and ate my breakfast as respectfully as I could – I mean, I wanted to just devour the entire thing in seconds, but being the Tori meant that I had to endure the most annoying part of the curse fall all of us – a smaller than normal digestive system, meaning that I forever had to peck at my food while everyone else could eat as much as they wanted to their heart's content! It was times like this that I _really_ hated my curse - especially at all you can eat buffets.

"Don't worry honey; I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually…" My mother comforted me, again showing her uncanny ability to be able to read my mind. "Anyway, at least you eat respectfully, that's a skill that you would find hard to master otherwise, due to your love of food…"

"I suppose so momma…" I agreed, knowing full well I would be thrown out of every restaurant that I had been in if I had eaten as I wanted to.

It was only then that I remembered fully what had happened last night… or was it the night before, when I was with Yuki…

"Momma…? Has… Has Yuki-kun been to visit yet…? It's just… well, Akii-kun said that he would be coming today, and I don't see him anywhere… has he already been and gone…?"

"Oh…" For some reason mother looked flustered, and I instantly was curious as to the reason of it. "Yuki-kun… well… he… he hasn't been feeling well recently, and… I wouldn't expect him to come out… He rarely leaves the main house anyway… don't worry about it Akira-chan… I know he would want to be here… that's what matters…"

But… but Akito said that Yuki would be able to come… he had promised me as we left that room…

… Had I left him in that room to suffer…?

… No… of course I hadn't… Akito wouldn't let that happen… of course he wouldn't…

"Enough of that now Akira-chan…" My mother changed the subject swiftly, and I was instantly glad that she had… for some reason, Yuki had seemed like… I don't really know… he had seemed like a _taboo_ subject, almost… "Are you looking forward to moving into the main house? You should see some of the buildings there – absolute structural genius! And the décor! Trust me, you will be amazed by the place – all of it… so full of colour, and light…"

"I'm sure I will enjoy it all momma… when I went before it seemed so beautiful… it must be enchanting to live there… almost like a fairy tale…"

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? I remember my childhood there – my father had been possessed like you three, and so I had always lived on the inside… All the glamour, and the festivals… you'll love all the festivals – especially New Year's! Being a member of the Juunishi really comes to life when you go to the New Year festival, so my father always told me… he said that the banquet was the best part of it all. And there was the welcoming dance; each year the member of the Juunishi that's year had just passed and the one who's year is beginning perform a dance dedicated to their Juunishi spirits. He, and all the other Juunishi, even Ayame-kun have all said that it was the most beautiful thing that they had ever seen… and I can just imagine it…"

I watched silently as my mother fell into silence, reminiscing on the stories that she had been told. I had never been to the banquet before… and, to be honest I had never thought about going to the banquet before. Even though I had an automatic invitation, being the Tori, I had just never considered the possibility of going… even though Ayame-kun had always pestered me before hand to try to get me to go…

"So, what do you have planned for today Akira-chan?"

Again, the sudden change of topic startles me; I guess I was never quick like that.

"Umm… I think Akii-kun is taking me home to collect my things today… I'm not sure when…"

"That'll be nice…" Mother smiled, but I could tell instantly that it was not a true smile, more a sad one, because she knew that she wouldn't see me much more anymore… "You call Akito-sama 'Akii-kun'… have you met him before… I'm sorry for asking, but I have never heard anyone address Akito-sama so… so informally. It… just seems strange, I guess…"

"N… no, I haven't met Akii-kun before…" I looked back, trying to figure out when I had suddenly started using the more informal honorific on him… Then I realised. It was just before we had left that room… and left Yuki in it… "He… he just asked me to call him that… so I did, anyway… It just seems _right_… does that make sense?"

"Yes 'Kira-chan, it does make sense. It's one of those unexplainable moments that happen in life… I never thought I would say this about the 'head of the family', but I believe you have a friend in him… Keep a hold on that friendship. Friendship is one of the most important things in life, along with family and love. You need all three to be able to survive. Even without food, or shelter you can't completely survive, not _in your head_. Without them, even if you have money, and possessions, you will still be alone, and unloved. Remember that."

"I will momma… thank you…"

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking around, and eating our breakfasts' before mother broke the silence.

"Akira-chan, before Akito-sama arrives I would like to give you this; It's a necklace that I was given by the family of the former Tori. Each member of the Juunishi has had one, but many have been lost over time, including, unfortunately the Nezumi and the Hebi's pendants. _This_ one however is the original necklace that the first Tori made when she realised that she was possessed by the bird. I was going to give it you when you were a little older, but I think that you are old enough to appreciate its true value now. Guard it with your life, okay?"

"Yes momma… wow… its _beautiful_…"

And it truly was. The pendent consisted of a circle, with twelve segments on it, each representing a different Juunishi, with a spiral entwining through the circle to represent god and the bond. Then, in the middle, there was the bird. But it wasn't the traditional rooster, as I had expected, but a graceful bird of prey, swooping down upon its victim. The utter beauty of the pendent was stunning, and the way the metal that it was made of glistened, reflecting millions of colours into my eyes made the image seem even more mystical. Although the pendent was very small, about the size of a fifty pence piece the exact detail in it was so stunning, I could almost imagine the bird being real, actually flying in the sky, even though it was just made of metal.

"They are amazing pendants, aren't they Akira-chan?" I jumped and turned around to see Akito standing there, a portrait of power. Instantly I bowed, and he returned the gesture, smiling serenely. "I myself have only seen a couple of them; the Ryouko's and the Usagi's, but they were both exquisite. May I have a look at yours?"

Instantly I gave the pendent to Akito to look at, and as he touched it, the colours of the metal seemed to be amplified, and it made the necklace even more stunning, if that was possible…

"Here, Akira-chan, I place this on you, just as the 'curse' was placed on you. I hope you bear the responsibility just as well as you do the one that has already been bestowed upon you."

As Akito spoke he places the necklace around my neck with the utmost care and attention, leaving it dangling on my chest, framing my neckline perfectly.

"It was almost as if it was made for you Akira-chan, it fits so well on you."

We stood in silence for a few minutes after that, lost in our own thoughts, the world around us completely forgotten…

"Your room at the main house has been prepared, and a car is waiting outside to take us to your home so you can collect your belongings. Naturally the estate will provide most of your belongings, and clothing and all that stuff, but you are welcome to bring any mementos of your past life with you, if that's what you want."

"Yeah…" I trailed off, trying to think of something, _anything_ that I actually wanted to take with me… There were things that I possessed, and that I had had as a child, and grown fairly close to… but was there really anything that I wanted to take into this new life… "When will we go Akii-kun…?"

"Now… if you want…" He hinted subtly, not wishing to push me into leaving. But I knew how hard it was for him to be here, and see me and my mother so close to each other… He obviously hadn't had a very happy childhood and if my first, and hopefully last, experience with Ren-san was anything to go by, then he mustn't have had a very caring mother.

So naturally I wanted to ease his pain a little, even if I couldn't really do that much.

"Yeah, sure Akii-kun, we can go now. Momma… do you mind If I go with Akii-kun now… I can… I _will_ come back later to visit you… I promise."

"Don't worry 'Kira-chan; you're growing up now, and I can't expect you to forever be trailing after me, like you did when you were younger… You need this change to grow, and find yourself…" She sat up slowly, and reached for my hand, which I instantly gave her. She clasped my hands in both of hers and looked me strait in the eyes, her pale blue eyes holding my silver-white ones firmly and yet gently at the same time. "Don't worry Akira-chan; you will always have me, and your father watching over you… you never need to worry about anything… okay…?"

"Thank you momma." I smiled gratefully at her blessing; it felt so much better to be able to leave with at least _one_ person on my side from my old life.

As mother let go of my hands I turned around slowly and began to walk out of the room, my head slightly bowed. As I passed Akito, I felt my hand brush against his open one, and I held onto it, grateful to have a friendly face with me as I faced my old home… and Osamu again.

(LINE BREAK)

_**-------------Akira's POV, 1 hour later, outside Misaki ad Osamu's house-------------**_

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As the car pulled into the driveway, I began to have _serious_ doubts about my capabilities of going into that house again and facing Osamu. None of the houses we had ever lived in had ever felt like a home to me, after all, I had been ill in most of them, but this was the worse of them. Its whole aura was poisonous and the entire building made me feel claustrophobic… and that was when Osamu _wasn't _there…

When he was… well, let's just say I would rather stick needles in my eyes than be in the same house as that man – and I actually mean that literally, not just figuratively!

Right on cue, as if reading my thoughts, (which I hadn't actually found out if he could do… I mean, you never could know for certain, could you?) Akito began to sooth my thoughts and emotions.

"You know Akira-chan; you don't have to go into the house… I could go in there and get your stuff… and deal with him myself as a bonus…" He suggested, making me laugh due to his utter seriousness – I mean, he _actually_ meant what he was saying…

"No… no I'll be fine Akii-kun… he's only an 'idiot' after all… isn't he?" We both smiled as we realised that I had used _his_ phrase for people like Osamu. "I'll be fine if you're there…"

"Let's go and deal with that 'idiot' then." He whispered, narrowing his eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh at it, ever so slightly, causing him to sigh. "You'd _better_ not do that when I'm interrogating people… how am I meant to be intimidating if you just laugh whenever I do any of my 'intimidation'?"

"Sorry Akii-kun…" I apologised sheepishly, while trying to stifle my laughter at the same time.

He was so strange, Akito I mean. He was completely different from any other person I had met – he wasn't just one person… he was more like two. There was that firm, unmoving side that was both 'god' and the 'head' of our family that never forgave and flew into a temper at the slightest thing…

… And then there was the calm, gentle Akito that was my friend, and who cared about everyone and everything and protected his Juunishi above everything else…

… But there was such a fine line between the two Akito's... he could flick between the two so quickly, you wouldn't be able to pin-point the second he 'snapped'…

As he got out of the car, and walked up to the house, with me following in tow, he changed into that completely different person. Gone was the calm, serene boy I had seen in the car, and knew as a friend. All that was left was a being of ultimate power and beauty – the god of the Juunishi, and his first self – his front. No longer could anyone mistake the boy for what he truly was – and woe to anyone who did while he was in this state! Anyone at the receiving end of his anger while like this would be pitied by everyone there, but none would try and help him. After all, if you made the god of the Juunishi mad, then you must have done something _really_ disrespectful to him or one of his…

"Let us in Osamu; you don't want a scene to be caused now… or do you?" Akito called roughly, in a tone that demanded an answer, and if you made him wait… the worse for you…

"It's a pleasure to have you visit my home Akito-sama…" Osamu was being unusually polite to Akito… it made me wonder what transpired in that room, and if Akito was really as frightening as they all made him out to be… Then he noticed me, and most of his manners were thrown _straight_ out of the window… or door… "Why have you brought her with you Akito-sama? I thought that you would have realised by now that I didn't want to hear about that girl again, let alone _see_ the damn girl! I _won't_ have that in my house!"

His onslaught sent me back into the shadows, but Akito seemed completely unfazed by the entire thing, amused by it, even.

"Oh Osamu, Osamu, Osamu… have you so quickly forgot our _little conversation_? Any house belonging to Sohma belongs in principle to _me_, due to my station. Would you really be incompetent enough to begrudge me access into _my own house_? After all, if you do… I might be forced to make you repay what you have taken from her, mightn't I? And that payment would _include_ this house, mark my words on that!"

I had no idea what Akito was really implying when he was threatening, but it seemed to do the trick; Osamu moved out of the doorway strait away, allowing us both entry into the house without any more protests.

"You go and pack Akira-chan; I'll stay down here…" As he spoke to me he glared one of his hardest glares at Osamu, and the hard man actually shuddered at the intensity of his hate!

"Y… yes Akii-kun… I… I shouldn't be too long…" I muttered as I ran up the various flights of stairs to my 'room'.

As we only stayed in this house at New Years, the room that I used was sparsely furnished, only containing a bed, wardrobe and desk. But over time I had decorated the dull grey walls with various paintings that I and my brothers had done, and it had gradually became a bedroom to me. All that was of any real value to me I kept on my person at all times; my diary, for instance which always remained in the shoulder bag that was permanently somewhere on my person, and my miniature zodiac figurines that Ayame-niisan had given to me for my last birthday were locked up in a miniature safe my mother had had installed for me.

Automatically I began to shove cloths into the suitcase that was still on my floor from when I had unpacked earlier in the week, and emptied my already bare wardrobe within minutes. Then I looked around my room, picking up any books and trinkets that I had hidden, taking anything of sentimental value to me and leaving anything that I had been given via Osamu's 'charity' or from any of the suck-ups who had just wanted to meet the Tori, and not me. In the end, my bag wasn't even full as I opened my safe to take out my most precious possessions; the zodiac figurines, a ring Yuki had made with mother, a book of old folk tales given to me by mother and the poetry book that I had received from the traveller two years ago, which contained many different poems, including the one that I had sung a few nights ago with Yuki…

…Yuki… why did I always forget him…?

… It was strange… he was like a tiny candle, always there, flickering away; someone you would always remember when you were lost in the dark, and scared…

… He was always there in the dark, with a brave smile and a comforting hand reached out to you…

… But when you were in the light, under the protection of the day…

… Then he was easily forgotten…

… And people would just brush him off, not even fully realising that he was there…

… How could I forget him again…?

Even though we hadn't been in this house often, we had shared some good memories, me and Yuki, even if they were over a very short time span. I mean, as long as one of my brothers was around, Osamu wasn't as bad, and I could at least live a bearable life, away from hate and cruelty for a while…

… But as soon as Ayame left to open his shop and Yuki was sent to the main house by mother, all my good memories were vanquished, and in their place was a trail of hell…

Each step I walked down made me relive another memory; another moment of my life that I wished to forget.

My first step, when I was forced back down for blocking the view to the television…

… My first word, for which I was told to 'shut up'…

… My first day at school…

School…

No _there's_ a time that I hated.

I've only been to a few schools, a few primary schools in Europe, but it was all the same.

Dull, dreary lessons…

… Teachers that think they know everything…

… Children who want to push you down as far as you can go…

… You don't learn _anything_ in School other than that life is a cruel heartless place – and you have to live up to that expectation…

"I'm ready to go home now Akii-kun…" I whispered, not daring to look at Osamu's surely smug, unbearable face.

"Akii-kun… _Akii-kun_?" There it was again; someone commenting on my choice of honorific for Akito – why was it so strange to call him something like that? "Gosh, you have each other wrapped around your little fingers… maybe it is best if you go and live in that place with the other Juunishi, _all chain_—"

He didn't get any further in his insult due to being slapped by Akito – _hard_. I had never seen anyone lose their temper like that so quickly – even Osamu had a different kind of temper – cruel, and hard, and unforgiving that always was there, stewing away until he would release it all in a massive blowout. Akito's temper though… It was different. It was hot and fiery, snaring up unexpectedly and trapping the person quickly, destroying everything before returning, making it appear nothing had happened.

I realised then that I most certainly _didn't_ want to get on Akito's bad side.

"Osamu, what goes on in the main estate is none of your concern. Don't meddle in affairs you know nothing about. My Juunishi live a free life, _away_ from the scorn of idiots like you."

"So you're _really_ not going to tell her about Yuki-kun's stat—"

"Like I said before Osamu, none of this is any business of _yours_. You're not important enough in the family." He whispered threateningly to Osamu, his voice rippling across the room effortlessly. "Come on Akira-chan, if your finished here then we'll leave. This man is starting to irritate me…"

As I followed Akito back into the car that was still waiting for us I tried to forget the conversation I had just been witness to, but I couldn't.

What did Osamu mean when he was talking about Yuki?

Did he mean his station as in that he was possessed by the Nezumi, and therefore was the best out of us members of the Juunishi?

But then it would have been said with pride… and Osamu was bitter as he spoke about Yuki-kun.

I knew I couldn't ask Akito about it – I mean, he was the one who had refrained Osamu from mentioning what he was going to.

Did that mean Akito had something to do with it all?

What _truly_ was the station of the Nezumi in this family…?

And what part did_ I_ have to play in this chain of events?

(LINE BREAK)

* * *

_**-------------Akira's POV, the next day, at the main house-------------**_(LINE BREAK)

I woke up to see the sun shining through the window in my face. Instantly I rolled over, partly top block the sunlight from burning my eyes and partly to have a feeble attempt at getting back to sleep – something I was sure now was never going to happen. But the bed was so… _comfy_. Covered in silks and satins I couldn't help but wish to stay in this bed all day. The bed and the entire room in fact were so luxurious I felt like a princess. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago I was sleeping in a house I hated, in a room that scared me, living a life I was never meant to live… this place was just so surreal.

"Akira-san, here is your breakfast…"

I turned around, grumbling to myself to see a young maid standing at the doorway, holding a tray of… wait a minute… was that _rice_ on there? And… fish…?Eugh…

"Akira-san… are you alright…?" The maid asked timidly, unsure of what to do.

"Yeah… I just…" I didn't know what to say; I mean, I could hardly tell her that I hated rice now that she had gone to all of that trouble to make it for me… "…I'm fine… sorry… I don't know your name…"

I was terribly embarrassed about not knowing her name, but she just smiled politely and gave it to me without a fuss or a patronising air.

"My name is Hoshi Sohma, Akira-san. Akito-sama has requested that I take care of all your needs. Feel free to call for me whenever you need anything." She bowed low to me and I stood up hurriedly and bowed back to her, slipping slightly and falling back onto my bed, laughing at my clumsiness.

"Akira-san, later today you will need to go for a fitting with Ayame-san for some new clothes on Akito-sama's request, but until then we have provided some robes for you."

"Thank you Hoshi-san." I replied to her as she placed my breakfast on the table and left the room swiftly.

As soon as I was alone I looked at the robe that I was to wear. It was beautiful. It consisted of a silver kimono with dusty-pink stitching upon it, consisting of a lily that crept up the kimono in an elegant pattern, twisting around the kimono gracefully. The obi was the same dusty pink as on the stitching, with a silver grey pattern on it, and as I looked closely I saw the design on the obi was the exact same pattern as that on the necklace that had remained around my neck ever since it was put on, yesterday. I sat there, looking at the glamour and exquisiteness of everything in the room, and not truly feeling part of it…

… I hadn't realised until then how true my word had been when I had described the Sohma estate as a 'fairy tale'…

Almost as soon as I had got ready there was a knock at my door, and Akito strode into the room, sitting down next to me as I bowed, nodding his head slightly to reply.

"Are you settling in well Akira-chan? I hope everything is to your standards." His complete lack of emotions was strangely funny as he played the 'perfect' host… how strange… he was his 'first' self again…

"Yes, thank you Akii-kun, it's such a nice place here… It feels like a _dream_… or a fairytale… I feel as if it's going to end at any time…"

"Akira-chan; It won't. This is a place where the Juunishi and I can be our true selves… You shouldn't feel uncomfortable here, on the contrary; this should feel like your home, not those other houses that you've lived in"

"T… then tell me the house rules and stuff… I don't want to impose on you…" I really wanted this to all be perfect; but nothing ever is… there _had_ to be a catch _somewhere_… and I was determined to find it before I got too carried away with the life I was living here.

"House rules…?" He laughed at my words slightly, and I instantly felt embarrassed, though I wasn't completely sure why. "This house is as much yours as it is mine. All of us that live here can do what we want. I suppose if there's a rule then it is to keep everyone company… but you are my guest; you don't have to refer to me like the others always do… it's so boring, to tell you the truth… I just want a… never mind…"

"O… okay Akii-kun… so… what will I do here…?"

"Oh… I hadn't thought about that…" He frowned slightly as he began to think. He may be the great 'head of the Sohma family', but he was still only a boy slightly older than me; it was only natural for him to act irrationally and then think afterwards, I mean, I did it all the time! "What the others do probably… whatever that is…"

"Hey Akii-kun…" I sat there fiddling with my fingers, wondering how I was going to ask this… because it _did_ feel like a taboo subject "… Can… can I see Yuki-kun…? I… I haven't seen him for days…"

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Akito's face harden for a minute before softening again forcefully, him waiting for a few minutes before answering, his voice containing a slightly hard edge, and I instantly felt that he wasn't telling the truth with me… or at least the entire truth…

"He is not feeling well at the moment Akira-chan. No one is allowed to see him at this moment." I was shocked at his tones; had I done something wrong to upset him?

"Oh… okay…" I whispered, looking down shamefully. "I hope he gets better…"

"So do I Akira-chan…" Akito smiled funnily, and for a moment I wanted to run away from him, but the feeling was gone instantly, just like his strange smile. "Maybe you would want to go outside? It's a nice day…"

I suddenly felt the urge to leave again, and find out the truth as to why he was acting like this; I wasn't going to let my thoughts be switched just like the conversation had, and if that meant leaving Akito on his own… then so be it.

"Okay, Akito-sama." I stood up quickly and walked to the door, only looking back once I got there. "I'd like to be on my own for a while, if that's okay with you."

I didn't wait for his answer, and I didn't stop even at the sight of his face… even though it looked close to bitter tears at my tone. I honestly didn't care. He was stopping me from going to my brother, and I wanted to know why. I couldn't forgive him for keeping me away from my brother… no matter how much I had thought him a 'friend'.

I walked around the grounds for a while, not paying any close attention to anything in particular, just admiring the views in general. It felt strange being here; when I thought about it… it seemed like both the home I had always wanted… and a golden cage… Even though I had chosen to be here, for some reason the Tori spirit inside me wanted to flee… wanted me to leave this place _now_, and never return…

… It almost felt like I was _chained_…

… Like Osamu was going to say…

"Hey, Haru, look; it's that girl from the park last week!" I looked up from where I was standing to see a small blond boy running up to me, dragging a boy with black and white hair after him, with an expression of glee on his face… why though, I couldn't tell. He came up right close to me and examined me before turning back to the other boy. "I _told_ you! It's her! Yay! I'm right… hold on… what are you doing _here_?"

He only just realised _now_ that it was odd to have a strange girl waltzing around a _privately owned _estate?

"Umm… well…" I instantly felt uncomfortable… I mean, wouldn't _you_ feel uncomfortable if you had a boy who couldn't be older than _five_ asking you about why you were doing something in a specific place? "…Well… I… I like _live_ here… now…kind of…"

"You do…?" His face lit up, and for a moment I saw Akito there, the way he always looked so happy when something went well… but I pushed the thought instantly out of my mind. "Wow, no one knew has come here for _ages_, ever since Yuki-kun arrived, and he nev--… Come on, I wanna introduce you to the others! Hurry up Haru; you're such a slow coach!"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him around the gardens to a field on the outskirts of the estate, where there was three other people sitting there on the grass; a brown haired girl and a black haired girl, who looked about my age, and an orange haired boy who looked about Yuki's age. They all were familiar, and when I thought about it, the two boys behind me and the brown haired girl had been at the playground that day – the orange haired boy had stayed away, and the black haired girl I had never seen before.

"Hey, you!" The orange haired boy called rudely from across the field. "What are you doing here? Don't you know only 'insiders' are meant to be here?"

As soon as the boy opened his mouth I realise what a complete _idiot_ he was. How anyone could stand having a loud-mouth like him around… I'll _never_ understand…

"And maybe I am an 'insider'" I retorted, instantly annoyed by his attitude, but keeping a peaceful act. After all, it would only irritate him more!

"Then how come we've never seen you around before?"

"_Because_ I've been in Europe with momma." Didn't these boys like _ever_ listen in on their parent's convocations… how else are you meant to find anything out? "Why are _you_ here?"

Because that boy _certainly _wasn't a member of the Juunishi… but he felt the same… spiritually I mean…

"Do you know the family secret…?" The brown haired girl asked, coming up to me, a smile on her face.

In reply I just grabbed onto the nearest boy, who just so happened to be that idiot and hugged him.

Of course, nothing happened, but the others seemed to be surprised, and instantly began to gather around me.

"Hey, why did that happen…?"

"Isn't it obvious you lot?" The black haired girl drawled, still sitting in the same place she was before. "She's a Juunishi as well!"

"Omigosh! Are you really? What's your name?" The blond haired boy giggled as he jumped up and down.

"Hi, I'm Akira Sohma… and I'm the Tori of the Juunishi…" I bowed low to them, out of respect, and they returned the gesture… well, at least _some _of them did… "… It's a _pleasure_ to finally meet you all."

"It's great to meet you too! I'm Momiji Sohma, the (rabbit) of the Juunishi!" He smiled at me before turning and telling the others to introduce themselves.

"Hi, I'm Kagura, the Buta (boar) of the Juunishi, and that over there is Kyo-kun the… Neko! We're engaged!"

"NO WE'RE NOT!" The boy shouted back at her, and then something strange happened; she began to chase him around the field screaming:

"I LOVE YOU KYOOOOOOOOO-KUUUUUUUUN! DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT! I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!"

Turning away from the others to look at me, the boy with black and white hair smiled slightly at me before introducing himself.

"Hey, I'm Haru, the Oushi (Ox) of the Juunishi, and this is 'Rin', the Uma (horse) of the Juunishi. Are you by any chance related to Yuki-kun...? You look… similar…"

"Yeah... I'm his sister..."

"See Haru; she's his sister, she's bound to be _just like him_."

"Ssh Rin, that's not true, you've only just met her; give her a chance." He soothed her, hugging her calmly, obviously not taking any of it seriously.

"She's the k'so Nezumi's sister? No wonder, she's just as annoying as him--..." He began, but I kicked him across the field, bored already with his voice.

"That reminds me..." The sudden mention of Yuki reminded me of why I had come outside in the first place. "Have any of you seen Yuki-kun...? Akii-kun said that he was ill, but I can't find him anywhere... do any of you know where he is?"

"'_Akii-kun'_, gosh I told you that she'd be wrapped around his little finger like Yuki Haru-kun, _but would you listen_...? no."

All of these comments about my choice of honorific for Akito were _really _beginning to get on my nerves...

...First Hatori-san on the way to mother's room...

... Then mother yesterday...

... And then Osamu when we went home to pack...

... And now these kids...

"What _is_ every one's problem with how I address Akito? And _why_ will no one tell me why I can't see my brother? What's all this talk about his station? Is it all some big conspiracy that _everyone _in this damn house knows about apart from me? Everyone I've met seems to know something about him, and they keep stopping themselves from mentioning it. What is it about Yuki-kun that makes him such a 'taboo' subject? Please, someone, _**tell me**_!"

"Do you really _not_ know? Has the bastard really kept you in the dark?" Kyo smirked, his eyes dancing. "Has he really not told you what the position of that k'so Nezumi is?"

"_Evidently_ not." Even though I _really_ wanted to know where Yuki was, and what his so called 'station' was, I wasn't going to let that idiot treat me like that.

"He's Akito's Okiniiri*; he's just a worthless Omocha** to Akito!"

* * *

***/** You'll have to wait until next time to find out the meanings of these words: but feel free to guess in the reviews - lol! :)**

**Kaytii/**

* * *

Blood on their Hands…


	4. Stations Part 2

**AN: Yay, I've had like a TON of reviews - it really makes it worthwhile writing to have so many brilliant reviews like the ones you lot have given me - I'm so glad you like my story!**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end..__. The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_Forgiveness comes in strange places... but I never expected a child to help me find it... a child who thought I was a FAIRY..._

**Okay, I was inspired to write this scene by both Yuki's meeting with Tohru for the first time in Volume 15 of the manga, and then later on, near the end I was inspired by the Kureno-Akito part of the manga when Kureno's curse breaks (sorry for the spoiler). Although Kureno doesn't appear or exist in this story, I still wanted to put a bit of him in the story - and so I chose his personality!**

**I've finally put the english meanings in for those strange japanese words that I refused to let you know the meaning of in this chapter - so yay!**

**To answer NicoleRose's question for all of you, the songs are ones I've made up for my coursework in music - so I'm afraid you won't be able to find them online - sorry! (but they are actually from a colection that I wrote a year or so ago!)**

**Neither songs have names yet - so maybe you would be great and suggest a name for them? When I have enough suggestions I'll post what I think I'll call them - I'm, also adding in more songs later on. **

**What else... o yeah! I remember now! I'm back at school now, so the chapters will come out less often - but please still review.**

**Is that everything? YES!**

**Please enjoy**

**Kaytii/**

**Disclaimer: My plans are well on their way, aren't they PhoenixPandora? Until they are carried out, we... or rather I do not own Fruits Basket...**

* * *

Blood on their Hands…

The Innocence of Childhood: "Stations" Part 2

(LINE BREAK)

_-------------------Akira Sohma's POV-----------------------_

_(_LINE BREAK)

"_That reminds me..." The sudden mention of Yuki reminded me of why I had come outside in the first place. "Have any of you seen Yuki-kun...? Akii-kun said that he was ill, but I can't find him anywhere... do any of you know where he is?"_

"'Akii-kun'_, gosh I told you that she'd be wrapped around his little finger like Yuki Haru-kun, but would you listen...? No."_

_All of these comments about my choice of honorific for Akito were really beginning to get on my nerves..._

_...First Hatori-san on the way to mother's room..._

_... Then mother yesterday..._

_... And then Osamu when we went home to pack..._

_... And now these kids..._

"_What is every one's problem with how I address Akito? And why will no one tell me why I can't see my brother? What's all this talk about his station? Is it all some big conspiracy that everyone in this damn house knows about apart from me? Everyone I've met seems to know something about him, and they keep stopping themselves from mentioning it. What is it about Yuki-kun that makes him such a 'taboo' subject? Please, someone, __**tell me**__!"_

"_Do you really not know? Has the bastard really kept you in the dark?" Kyo smirked, his eyes dancing. "Has he really not told you what the position of that k'so Nezumi is?"_

"Evidentl_y not." Even though I really wanted to know where Yuki was, and what his so called 'station' was, I wasn't going to let that idiot treat me like that._

"_He's Akito's __**Okiniiri**_** (favourite little pet)**_; he's just a worthless __**Omocha**_**(toy) **_in the eyes of our 'great' god!"_

What? Why was he saying that…? It wasn't true…

… It _couldn't_ be true…

… But…

… But it _did_ explain a lot…

… Like why Yuki had been forced to go to the main house last year by mother…

… And why Akito wouldn't let me see him today…

… Or any day…

… And why he was in that dark room--…

… O gosh! **I** had left him in that dreaded room alone as well! I… I had… I had abandoned him when he was in the most need for comfort! How… how could I do that…?

… But I knew the answer, even though I wish it weren't the truth.

I had known that he was upset… and yet I had still left him… I had ignored his suffering to ease my own guilt on why mother was in hospital…

… I was a _fool_, a stupid, uncaring FOOL!

The truth was an ugly thing when you made yourself look at it like I was, unblinkingly, with no hope of hiding it from my senses anymore; no hope of a reprieve from it.

And I couldn't bare the truth anymore; not with those faces looking at me, shocked, smug… and filled with hate…

"You really should have said that Kyo-kun…" The black and white haired boy – Haru stated softly, his voice carrying clearly across the field, a field that was now consumed with silence after Kyo's revelation. "He didn't mean it, Akira-san… Kyo's just like that… Unthinking…"

"Oh why lie to her Haru?" The girl – Rin – snapped, glaring at me. I was shocked by how much hate and hostility there was in her stare even though I had only just met her. Could just thinking of Akito as a 'friend' stir so much hatred in her…? "Of course she knew already! She hasn't just found out now! His station was _obvious _to anyone, whether they were insiders, or outsiders! You could just take one look at that pathetic fool and see that he's too cowardly to do anything _but_ obey Akito's every whim! How could you NOT notice? Someone so 'close' to Akito surely would have noticed that he kept leaving your presence to return to the main house… to feed his little Okiniiri… Of course you noticed; you just didn't want to, so you turned a blind eye – just like all of us do! Just like we're **ordered** to do by our 'god'!"

I didn't want to hear this – it was breaking my heart! Of _course_ I didn't know that this was happening… I had only been here for a day… of course I didn't know… I _couldn't _know… could I?

I mean, no one expected me to know everything in one day… but I _should_ have noticed that really, shouldn't I? Why couldn't my _stupid_ little brain work out that my brother was in _**pain**_ – that he was being bullied, in a way… why couldn't I understand what was going on when I saw them together in that dark room… together… Akito with his powerful aura… and Yuki; small, terrified and insignificant. No one would notice little Yuki while Akito was standing there; Yuki was nothing but a shadow in the presence of the great 'god', just like we all were in comparison to Akito. As long as Akito stood there with his serene smile and cold, unmovable eyes, all focus would remain on him, and Yuki would go around unnoticed… unloved… forgotten and ignored by all…. For all time… No matter what the small child wished…

That was the truth, and there was no way we could block it out, the truth I mean – once we knew, it was imprinted in us, stuck in our brains until the end of time… the end of the curse…

… _Like _that_ was ever going to happen…_

It was a part of us, a part that was constantly whispering in our ears… telling us truths we didn't want to know…

… That we only pretended not to know…

… They were truths I didn't wait, or want to listen to – I couldn't listen to them anymore, they were killing me!

I needed to get away from it all, this estate, these people… him…

So I just ran.

I didn't look where I was going, I didn't want to know where I was going and start thinking. All I wanted to do was forget what was happening, forget _everything_ and just leave this place forever. As I exited the Sohma Estate no one stopped me – after all, why would they? The Juunishi were the highest ranking members of the Sohma family as far as most were concerned, and therefore they were allowed to do whatever they… _we_ wanted…

… Except one…

… Except Yuki…

How could something so cruel… so heartless happen to that little boy who brightened up everybody's days, how could anyone wish to see that innocent boy hurt…

… How could they…

"A… Akira-chan! Wait!" I heard a weak voice come from behind me – Akito's voice. I froze with anger inside of me that I had never known as the voice went into me, and I felt like running up to my 'god' and killing him… but… but I couldn't… even though I hated Akito with the depths of my soul now, there was still a part of me that got thrilled by his touch, that followed his every word with awe… that rotated around him. He was the single most important thing in my universe… and yet I wished it weren't so…

… Was this truly what the curse was…?

… That sense of belonging, and hatred… and fear…?

… Was **that** what the curse actually was, and not the transformations that occurred…?

… Was everything everyone had assumed about the curse a lie…?

"… Please…"

I couldn't bare it anymore. All the anger, and sorrow and fear I had ever felt was bottling up inside of me, threatening to overturn inside me and destroy my sanity. And hearing his little voice was just adding to it, topping the already overflowing bottle. I couldn't cope with myself _or_ him anymore… The only way I could get away from this stupid world was to block him out of my heart, and run… just like a coward, run…

I didn't care if my severe asthma played up – It would be bliss compared to the pain I was feeling at the moment; it was a welcome pain…

So I ran flat out, letting that souring pain rise up in my chest and lungs, willing myself to transform… but of course it didn't happen. Even though I was in considerable pain, my mind was still in control, numbing all the pain, meaning I didn't transform… so I carried on running…

As I ran through the streets of Tokyo, I felt the stares of all the normal humans rest upon me, curious of me, and wary of my presence, like they all were whenever they saw one of "us", one of the Juunishi. I instinctively shielded away from them, all too conscious of the fact that I was still wearing my silk Kimono – I must look like some kind of fairy princess in this thing, some rich spoilt princess who had run away from home. After all, I _was_ just as enchanting as the other Juunishi, everyone I had ever met had said that, whether it was meant as a compliment or an insult. It felt nice to be called that, but at this moment I would give practically _anything_ to have my hair tied up and be dressed in a school uniform, or some western clothing. _Anything_ other than this distinctive Kimono even!

And anything other than to look like I did; this pretty face and my "perfect" looks were my downfall when trying to blend into a crowd.

_*cough, cough*_

Eventually I found myself in a playground about a mile from the outskirts of the estate, in the Tokyo pavilion. Secretly I was glad there was a festival in the park – after all, it meant that I was a _little_ more hidden than I was out of the park… just as long as someone didn't begin to ask me questions about the carnival…

_*cough, cough*_

"Kaasan can I have a dress like the one that girl's got please? It's so prettiful!" I glanced around briefly and saw a family sitting at a table, eating a meal together, the little girl looking at me enviously, her eyes bearing into me, making me want to hide from her and all of humanity.

"No honey; that's not a dress, it's a family kimono. You can only be a member of that family to wear one of those…" The woman had also turned around to see who her daughter was talking about, and I heard her gasp as she took in my appearance; I really _must_ look shocking in this Kimono… and with this specific crest on my Obi. Gosh, _anyone _looking at me would be able to tell where I had come from and take me back… with or without my co-operation… Then I would be right back where I started…

"Eleanor-chan…" The woman's husband asked her. "Isn't that the _Sohma_ crest upon her Obi? What's a Sohma doing out unescorted, especially one as young as her…? Should we take her back…? My employers would really appreciate it…"

I didn't wait to hear her reply; I just got off and walked away from them as quickly as I could, away from that 'happy' family and away from that place. There was no way that I was going to return the Sohma estate, not while I was feeling like _this_ to them all…

*_cough, cough*_

As nightfall fell upon me, and the rain came tumbling down upon me I began to feel the repercussions of my run and stress, and as my consciousness slipped I could feel my body transforming, and a voice calling…

"What a pretty bird… ooh, wake up birdie… momma… MOMMA!"

(LINE BREAK)

_-------------------Kyoko Honda's POV-----------------------_

(LINE BREAK)

"Come on Tohru-kun; let's go to the park to feed the ducks!" I called to my daughter as she played on the balcony.

"Okay Momma, can I feed the pretty white ones, the… the…" Tohru screwed her eyes up as she tried to think of the right word. "… the… Swans!"

"Tohru honey, there are no swans at the park; there haven't been swans at the park for three years!" I laughed gently as I tousled her hair. My Tohru is always so happy; it just makes me want to smile.

"There will be!" The look of determination as she said those words was so adorable I just had to give her a big hug.

"Come on now, we don't want to keep the birds waiting!" As I grabbed the bag of bread Tohru ran ahead, laughing gaily as she skipped along the streets. Tohru was always so cute when she was happy, and when she was happy, then I was. There was no question at all about that matter. All that mattered to me was that my little Tohru was safe and forever smiling. I wouldn't – _couldn't_ let her be sad!

"Momma… MOMMA! Come over here!" As soon as Tohru called me I ran over to her, terrified that she had fallen and hurt herself. But it wasn't _her_ that was hurt. "Look at the pretty birdie momma… and she's white! See! I told you there would be some white swan's today! I was right!"

But the bird on the floor _wasn't_ a swan. To start off with, she was too small, and her beak was different – she was more a songbird than a swan. I bent down to see if the bird was hurt; all the while Tohru was running around us in circles, asking constantly if the bird was okay, something that would have been adorable at any other time.

"Momma… can we… can we take the bird home to look after her… and… and keep her…?" The look on Tohru's face made me want to shout "yes" out and let her have the pretty bird, but of course I couldn't. This was a wild songbird and was bound to snap if any humans came into contact with it. But it was so strange to see any birds around here like that – had it escaped from someone's private collection? If so, it would again be bad if we took it… but it looked so ill; even though it was unconscious it was still easy to see what pain the bird was going through; there was an angry gash down her front and her feathers were soaked from the rain that had just passed… I couldn't just leave the bird here to die…

… But why was the bird caught in some cloths, and fine clothes at that. A beautiful silver Kimono with dusty pink embroidery sewn upon it, and on the pink Obi, a family crest embroidered on in silver… the Sohma family crest…

… Maybe that was where the bird had come from…

"Tohru honey the bird probably belongs to someone else, someone _important_, come on, I'll carry her if you bring those cloths with you down there. Someone must be looking for them; they're made of very fine silk. Come one."

I picked the bird up gently and I was surprised by how light she was as she shook, showing the symptoms of a fever… a _human_ fever…

As we entered the house the bird's Symptoms only got worse, her shivering becoming more violent and her temperature rising considerably with each passing minute.

"Tohru, can you go and get some cold water, and keep an eye on her; I'll go and call these Sohma's… maybe they'll know what to do…"

"Sure momma, do you think they'll let me see her when she's better?" Tohru called happily, completely ignorant on all that was happening… how like her…

"… Maybe…" Was all I told her as I went to the phonebook to find the number for the exclusive Sohma's…

"Hello, Sohma Hoshi speaking, how may I help you…?" A voice came from the phone after it was connected to the Sohma private line.

"Hi… I'm calling because… I know this will sound silly… but I found a bird on the streets with some clothes… they had the Sohma crest on them so…" I trailed off as I realised that there was silence on the line.

"Hello…?" I called down the line, but then I realised there was talking on the other side of the line, and I listened in.

_-"Who is it Hoshi?"-_An elderly sounding voice asked.

_-"I don't know madam, but she's found Juunishi Akira-san."-_

_-"Someone, get Akito-sama! He'll know how to deal with this! What the girl was doing out so late I don't know…"- _The older woman's voice was now more urgent, and I could hear considerable clattering on the other end of the line, as two or three people ran off, probably to find this 'Akito-sama'.

_-"What do you want? I told you, I don't want bothering unless it's _important_!"- _A new voice had joined the convocation, a young male voice, but I was surprised to hear the authority that was contained in it.

_-"Akito-sama… someone's found Akira-san in her Juunishi form…"-_

_-"Give me that phone! Who is the person who found her? Is she a Sohma?" -_

After the boys last question, there was no answer, or at least no answer that was loud enough for me to hear.

"Who is this?" The boy's voice was much clearer this time, and I realised that he was actually speaking to me.

"O… errm… I'm Kyoko Honda, Akito-sama…" I honestly didn't know what to say, after all, they were taking it all so _seriously_, as if they had _expected_ this to happen…

"Where did you find the bird?" He demanded, and I flinched at his cold tones, even though I was only on the phone to him.

"Um… outside, on the streets… it looked like… it looked like she was seriously injured… she had a fever…"

There was no pause this time after I spoke.

"We will come to collect the bird immediately. Please keep the bird in a bedroom, with the doors and windows locked, and no way for her to escape. Don't go in the room at all, and wait for someone to come and pick her up. If you don't follow these orders then we will have no choice but to carry out the 'normal' procedure."

What, was this bird some kind of rarity? Never before had I seen anyone so protective of a pet as much as that boy – it was almost as if the bird was his family or something…

And what was all this about the 'normal' procedure? Did he mean he would sue me? Or something more…?

"Okay, I'll make sure that no one enters the room."

"We'll be round in a few minutes."

"Hold on! Don't you need my address?"

"Your call has been traced to your flats, Kyoko Honda; you don't need to worry about our finding of your location, goodbye."

Then he hung up the phone abruptly, not waiting for a reply.

_How rude…_

"Come on Tohru-kun…" I called to my daughter as I went down the hall to her room – the room where the bird was. "We have to go… OH!"

_*Poof*_

As I opened the door there was not one girl there but two. The other girl was lying on the bed where the bird had been, a thin sheet laying on top of her, which Tohru was placing neatly around her.

"Where's the bird Tohru… and who's this…?" I was instantly cautious… I mean, how often do you see a child appear out of nowhere, and a child that was sought out so much by that family…? Was this why they didn't want us to enter the room? Did they already know that she would be here?

"Where am I…?" A faint voice spoke as a pair of beautiful silvery green eyes fluttered open. The girl's voice was soft, and melodic, alluring, and harmonising. "Who are you…?"

She only managed those mere words before she fell asleep again.

Whatever was going on, it was well above me.

But that little girl looked exhausted.

I wouldn't ask questions – it wasn't my position to – but I WOULD help that girl… it was obvious that she needed _someone _to help her…

(LINE BREAK)

_-------------------Akira Sohma's POV-----------------------_

(LINE BREAK)

My eyes fluttered open to see a pair of young brown eyes staring back down at me.

"Momma… She's awake!" The girl cried out, smiling sure an infectious smile that I couldn't help but smile back at her, even if it was a tiny smile.

"W… where am I…? Who are you…?" I couldn't understand why I was on a bed… covered by a _sheet_. Last thing I remember was walking down a dark street, and collapsing…

… Oh Great…

I had transformed…

"Hi, I'm Tohru Honda, what's your name?" I forced my eyes open again so I could see the girl, but all I really wanted to do was sleep. "Here, have a drink…"

I gulped down the drink greedily, and gradually I began to wake up enough to sit up and concentrate.

"… Thanks…"

"Here, put this on." The woman grabbed a fluffy pink dressing gown off the door and placed it around my shoulders, which I instantly snuggled into, glad of some warmth.

"M… my…" My teeth were still chattering but I needed to answer the girl's question. "… My name… is… is… A… Akira… Sohma…"

I watched cautiously as the woman's eyes first grew a little wider at the mention of my last name, and then went back to how they were before.

"Where is the bird Akira Sohma?" The woman asked softly. "You're family was worried about her safety…"

I knew I couldn't answer the woman truthfully, and anyway she wouldn't believe me, but I couldn't think up a believable lie either. So I remained silent, something I had always been good at.

The silence dragged before the woman finally had an idea on how to approach me.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't any of my business… but may I ask why you are here… in my daughter's bed…?"

"I… I…" I couldn't think of how to answer the question, but thankfully I didn't need to.

"Oh momma, don't be silly! She's a _fairy_! _Fairies_ can shape-shift. She was knocked down by an evil fairy while protecting her family and came to us for help because she was lost! She was getting better from her injuries and so changed back to thank us!" Even though she was referring to me as if I were some kind of creature from a fairytale, her actual explanation was _very_ accurate…

"Tohru honey, fairies live in fairy land…" I had to stop myself laughing as the girl's mother started to protest against the girl's fantasies. "… This girl isn't a fairy…"

"But she _looks_ like a fairy momma; she has silver hair and eyes! What else can she be?"

"I… I'm not a fairy…" I tried to correct her, if only to put her entire account away. "Fairies are blessed. I… I'm more _cursed_…"

"You never could be! You're too pretty and kind!" She protested, but her mum placed a finger on her mouth, instantly silencing the girl.

How could someone be so sure of a fact concerning someone they had only met a few minutes before…?

"Is there anything wrong Akira...? Are… are you a runaway...?" She looked at me pityingly, and I wanted to just agree with her, lie and save an awful lot of hassle... but I couldn't. Something inside me couldn't let me lie, that same part of me that had always prevented me from saying _anything_ that wasn't the truth, whether I knew it or not – my deep conscious.

"N... no... Not exactly... It's complicated..." I closed my eyes slightly, hoping that I wouldn't be asked to elaborate, of course, I would be – I always was.

"Then why don't you start from the beginning..." She smiled gently and encouragingly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back at her, a weak smile admittedly, but still… a smile all the same. "... I always find that that helps the most. Just close your eyes and speak your feelings. We won't judge, or tell anyone else, but we'll offer you support and advice. Just speak for once with a clear conscious and heart, and don't care about all those who may reprimand you for saying this. Just speak the words that your heart wants to say..."

"T... thank you..." I whispered before sitting up fully, wrapping the dressing gown around me before beginning to speak. "It's what I want most of all; to speak with a total stranger and not be judged or reprimanded... but even still... it's hard..."

"Just start from the beginning, tell it like it was someone else's tale." She coached gently, holding on to my hand and squeezing it.

"_The first eight years of my life were... normal I suppose... I lived a life almost like any other, and... It was 'normal'... but I was asleep, in a dream that was more like a nightmare... and I grew so weak I could barely cope with the demons in my dreams... and slowly I was letting them take over me..."_

I sighed as I remembered those times while I was in a coma, the demons of the night terrorising my life, making it all seem dark, no matter what time of day it was.

"_... But then, one day I woke up. It wasn't even that long ago; maybe even as short as a few days ago... but it seems so much longer... I don't know yet if that's a good or bad thing... It was like seeing everything in colour for the first time... and, to be truthful, _that_ felt like more of a dream than my life before..."_

And at times I had wished it were a dream; it scared me when things were fine... but I also preferred to think of it all as a dream; it doesn't matter if a dream turns into a nightmare – like this one had... But if _**reality**_ turned into a nightmare... I don't think I could cope... I really don't...

"_... It was perfect... too damn perfect... I knew there must be a catch – I sought to find it... But I had never expected a catch like that... what he had done to my brother..."_

It almost felt like the ultimate betrayal... He _had_ betrayed me...

"_... There's a kind of hierarchy in my family – The Sohma's. I am fairly near the top, not an unusual thing for children – it all depended on when and where you were born... My little brother was higher than me, maybe because he was a boy... but _he_ was the highest... the head of the Sohma family... Akito..."_

I saw her eyes widen, and I knew then that she knew who I was talking about. Words could hardly describe Akito, but if she had heard him speak, then maybe she would understand what I was saying more now than if she hadn't spoken to him...

"_... I only met him for the first time a few days ago... but that was when I awoke from that endless slumber of life... or fell into the world of dreams, if that was how you viewed it... Either way, my life changed when I met him... It seemed almost as if the world revolved around him... I know how silly it sounds, but I did... and I still do... I thought that he was perfect in every single way... but of course, the dream would end... people began to talk a little, and I would catch snippets of conversations, or someone would catch themselves when talking. It wasn't enough for me to know anything for certain... but it enough, nevertheless for me to start coming up with my own theories on the matter."_

I had grown suspicious... and curious… They said curiosity killed the cat... well maybe it had killed a part of me today, as well...

"_... I confronted some of the Sohma children who had lived there longer than me... and... They had told me the truth.... that my little innocent brother, no matter how high he was in the family, was just the plaything of our 'lord and master'. It destroyed me to hear those words. Not only out of sorrow for my brother, but also out of anger, and... And bitterness. With those words from that child, my whole new perspective on life was completely shredded up into little pieces, and left for dead..."_

I never thought I would be happy again... it was why I had run.

"_... I so wanted to blame someone for all of it – to place the blame for all the tragedy on someone, and who better than he – the boy who thought so little of my brother... But still I couldn't. It really frustrated me... I _wanted_ to be able to place all blame on him... but then I'd remember... I'd remember how he always smiled at me, and comforted me... I couldn't understand how he could be so nice to __**me**__, and yet destroy my little brother... There had to be __**something**__... but I... I didn't know, and I still don't know. But there __**had**__ to be a connection... A connection with mother going to the memorial service... and Osamu always hating me...and Ren-san almost killing my mother... and Akito inviting me to live with him... and the way I had __**never**__ felt uncomfortable, like the other Juu—like the others did... There has to be..."_

The woman looked at me, and I at her, and in that same instant we both knew what it was...

"You know now... don't you..." She smiled sadly; feeling a pity for me so deep... it was so intense... I wanted to run…

"... Yes... I might… but..." I was scared to admit the truth... scared to say it out loud... scared to make the words true...

"He's your brother as well, isn't he Akira... That's why you can't hate him... because he's your brother and you love him..." She finished for me, and as she said the words a sense of... a sense of relief came over me. It was as if, when she said the words, a part of me became free...

"Yes... I know that… I know… I know now…" I whispered, finally admitting the truth… what I believed it to be, anyway.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Akira. It's not your fault what other people do to each other."

"You know," I looked her fully in the eyes for the first time, smiling a genuine smile. "You sound _exactly _like Akii-kun when he was comforting me… I… I miss it…"

"He sounds like a decent boy, despite his insecurities… but you can only follow what your heart wants… what is it that _you_ want…?" Never before in my life had I been asked that; to do what I want, to choose to follow my heart instead of other peoples decisions…

"I… I want to be with him… And to help him though all his pain… and to help him stop hurting my brother… and the others… I want to help him…"

"Then help him. Stay with him and protect him. From what you've said and from what I've heard; he depends on you. Direct him to the right path and help him to forgive himself… that will be what he finds the hardest… It's what everyone finds the hardest…"

"I will…"

_*knock, knock, knock*_

"I'll go and answer the door… maybe you should get changed back into that Kimono… I haven't met you before… okay?"

"That's the best thing." I agreed instantly. "For both you AND your daughter. Goodbye and God bless."

"Bye bye Fairy Akira-san! I hope you get back to fairyland okay!" The little girl waved wildly at me, and I couldn't help but wave back – just a little wave, but it was enough for her to be content.

"Goodbye." She squeezed my hand gently before picking up her daughter and leaving the room, locking it behind her, leaving me alone.

As soon as I had tied the Obi around me I heard the door unlock, and Akito entered the room sheepishly.

I wanted to hate him for what he had done to Yuki – I really did… but… but I couldn't. As soon as he had entered the room, my heart stopped suddenly and then began beating again, a new, steady beat. Maybe it was to do with the promise I was about to make…

As soon as our eyes met I couldn't help but run straight up to him, hugging him tightly, holding him tightly to me, the truth that I had just realised burning deep within me, forming yet another bond between the two of us…

"…I… I'm… I'm sorry Akira-chan… I… I should have told you… about it _all_…" He spoke as I leaned back slightly and looked into his onyx coloured eyes, and saw that he really was truthful when he spoke – that he really was sorry that he hadn't told me sooner… or more likely, he was sorry he hadn't told me at all… "I… I thought that you would hate me… and… and that you would abandon me if you found out the truth about what I am like… I… I don't want to be alone… it… it scares me…"

As I looked at Akito, all I could think of was the child that was standing before me, so young, so scared and so lonely. He was _just_ like all those who were in a position of power; he was cursed to forever live in fear of losing even the tiniest part of his fortune and property – And for Akito as the god of the Juunishi, losing any one of his precious 'friends' would destroy him.

And no matter what I felt about his actions, _they weren't __**who**__ he was_. They were just actions. He was my brother no matter what he did and I realised then and there that I would _never_ abandon my family out of choice **ever again**. And now I knew that he was family too my mind was completely made up.

"Akii-kun…" I whispered to him comfortingly, patting his back gently, trying to sooth him – our positions, for once, reversed. "… I… _I won't abandon you_. I swear this Akii-kun; I'll always be here, I… I don't hate you at all Akii-kun… I don't really think I ever _could_…"

As I spoke, I knew the words to be true, and I could feel them wrap around us in our embrace, binding us together.

"Akito-sama," A man came into the room and bowed as we broke apart and stood next to each other, the exact same expressionless look upon our faces. "The woman and child are in the room next door. It's clear to take Akira-san to the car now sir. Hatori-san is in the car. Do you want him to come in and carry out the normal procedure?"

"Y…" Akito was about to answer the man's question, but then he suddenly looked down at me, his friend, holding onto his hand tightly and looking back at him, with pleading eyes; pleading him not to say 'yes'. "… no… they haven't seen her in both forms… They don't know… cover up the cage so that they think that the bird's really in the cage… I'll take Akira-chan out first."

I loosened my hold on his hand and let it drop as the man bowed to Akito and told him that he would distract the people in the room next door, and left swiftly. But before he left the room, there was a brief look of curiosity from him directed at me and Akito. Curious, I glanced at Akito, wondering why the man had done that.

"H… I mean… I… I was a little… _angry_… when you left… and… and… when that woman called… well… I thought… that you would… try… try to run… and so… I kind of…" He stopped speaking as I suddenly laughed, imagining him preparing for the worse case scenarios… if he didn't have such a temper, they must have been _comical_ to watch…

"Forget about all that Akii-kun, come on, let's go to the car now."

As we left the flat I reached and held out my hand again to Akito, and he reached his out and held onto mine, smiling slightly at me, his eyes flickering over my face and expression, trying to determine if he had done the right thing before… the thing that I wanted.

"Thank you Akii-kun that **was** the right thing to do." I smiled gratefully at him, and to my relief he smiled back at me, and, for the first time ever, a true smile passed out through his lips.

"W… Why do you want to stay with me Akira-chan…? I… I _know_ I'm hurtful, and cruel to people sometimes, yet I can't help myself… and… and I get into a temper at even the slightest thing… Why are you willing to live with all of that and tie your life down to mine so young?"

"Because you are my family Akii-kun, as much as Ayame and Yuki are now. I've thought about all of this a lot when I was running away, and… I still don't fully know why I feel like I should stay with you… but I _do_ know that it's the right thing to do… can you understand that?"

"Yes… I do…" He whispered, more to himself as he opened the car door for me. "… and you can see your family when you get back… if you want…"

"Let's go home then Akii-kun." I smiled as I spoke; now knowing that this would forever be the place I would know as my home – anywhere with him…

_**Maybe it was in that moment that I began all that was to follow, or maybe it was after… or maybe all of the events that were to come had already been decided, like fate almost, the very moment I saw Akito, for the first time, in that playground. Maybe I had had no choice in the entire matter at all…**_

… _**But still, there were no regrets for me.**_


	5. The First Snow of Winter

**AN: Okay, chapter five - and HOW many words have I got so far...? I _am_ very sorry for making the chapters so so long, but I get carried away, and then when I finish the chapter, I can't find the right place to stop! So... it all results in these rediculously long chapters! Yays!**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_Knowledge is power - power that age, wisdom and books will give me... But it still doesn't stop the fact that others STILL jump to the wrong conclusions... no matter what I say..._

**In answer to PhoenixPandora's review, from now on, when I introduce the new Japanese Juunishi, I'll stick the english in brackets. Also, the reason why I haven't put in like the Japanese for 'god', well... there was basically too many variations of the word! But I think the contrast is good, don't you...? It is just another way of showing how different not-so-little-now-Akii-kun is now!**

**Also, as you will be aware later on, you should notice time has past. Why? To advance the plot my dear readers! So basically, this is set when Akira-chan is 14, and Akito is about 15! But I must say, It is SOO much more fun writing them older now - I found it REALLY hard to write them as little kids and still portray their true characters - so I hope that all the furuba characters wikll still be in character. I have also revieled more about Akira's personally in this chapter, like her personality, on the request from a review. So, if theres anything else u wanna know, then just stick it in a review and I'll either reply to ur review, or encorpret the answer to the question somewhere in one of the coming chapters.**

**Anything else...? No, I don't think so!**

**Enjoy...**

**Kayti/**

**Random Disclaimer: As I'm sure you're all aware, I don't own Furuba, like all of us... but one day I SHALL TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND CLAIM THEM... I WILL!!!**

* * *

Blood on their Hands…

The Innocence of Childhood: The First snow of winter.

_The darkness of the corridors grew and grew, consuming all the light and my path to freedom_

_Thud, thud…_

_I turned around sharply, hoping that there would be someone behind me who was a friend, who would help me escape, but no one was there…_

_Thud, thud…_

_Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a shadow move, following me, but never letting me see who they were…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Hello… is anyone there…?" I whispered, but there was no reply…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_I know that you're there…" My voice shook as I called out, but no one answered; all I could hear was that constant-_

_-Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_S… show yourself!" I called out to the shadows, my heart beating faster with each passing second…_

_Thud, thud…_

…_Thud, thud…_

"_L… leave here! Go, NOW!" I shouted, trying to drown out the sound that was all around me…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_You know, you should make up your mind my little Akira…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing… and the voice…_

_Thud, thud…_

_It was a voice that I recognised all too well…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_I have made my mind up; and I want you to leave! I want you to leave me alone!"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_But you know why I can't grant you your wish now don't you…?" The voice whispered, travelling up me, and forcing me down onto the floor…_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Make it stop! Please… just make it stop…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_You know I can't make it stop Akira… only __**you**__ can make it stop… and you know how to make it stop… don't you Akira…?" The voice's silky tones ran over me, sending me into spasm's…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_NO! I don't want to die! I won't die! I can't die!"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Then you know the alternative, don't you… you know the only other way for this to stop all this pain, and to stop all of the… accidents that keep happening in the other world is __**to join me**__…"_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_NO! I won't! It won't stop a thing… I… it won't change anything…"_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Your choice Akira, but you WILL give into me, you won't be able to help yourself… and then we'll be together forever, him and I… As it was meant to be…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_No! I swore I'd protect him! From ANY danger, even if that includes…"_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

_THUD, THUD…_

(LINE BREAK)

* * *

_-------------Akira Sohma's POV-------------_

(LINE BREAK)

Around Six years later

I awoke to darkness, complete and utter darkness, a consuming darkness that spread out over the room, claiming all that was in its way…

Had I given in and entered the next life…

… Or was I trapped here, while the voice took control of all that I knew…

Then I saw a shadow move in the depths of the darkness, a flickering shadow that was never in the same place for more than a few seconds…

"Hello… is anyone there…?" I whispered into the abnormal darkness as I got out of my bed and took a shaky step forward.

There was no reply, but I could feel the shadow move from my line of sight to behind me, sneaking up on me, and coming in for the kill…

"I… I know that you're there…" I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice, and I could hear my heart begin to beat faster, drowning out all other sounds with its steady, constant beat.

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"Eeek" I screamed as I felt something jump upon my back violently, shocking me, and almost making me collapse.

"Are you _scared_ Oneechan?" A small voice giggled from behind me, still clinging to my back… Yuki… "Did I scare you Oneechan?"

"YES!" I gasped back, trying to force my heart to beat at its normal rate. "Please, don't shock me like that again! You terrified me!"

"I'm sorry Oneechan…. I didn't mean to scare you…" I could feel Yuki screw up his eyes against my back, and instantly made me want to comfort him.

"Don't worry Yuki-kun…" I sighed as I let him slide off my back and sit on the bed, while I went to open the window. It had hardly strained me to have him on my back. Was he eating enough…? "Anyway, why are you here…? It's like… not even morning!"

I had looked out of the window as I spoke, and saw that sunset was only just approaching, which was why my room had been dark.

"I know Akira-chan! But Akito-sama told me to get you! He wouldn't say why though…"

_That_ changed everything though.

"Come on then Yuki-kun, let's go and find Akii. Where did he say he'd be?"

"Oh yeah… he didn't tell me… come on, let's find him!" He grabbed my hand and started pulling me along after him, laughing at himself slightly, causing me to laugh with him, happy to see that rare little smile upon his face. His smile was something you always treasured – because it was rarely there…

Before I could be completely dragged out of the room I wrapped myself in a Kimono, before following my little brother down the maze of corridors that created the main house.

"Wait here Oneechan," He whispered before sliding through the thin gap that kept the door ajar. Then there was silence.

I waited.

And Waited.

I remember when I first moved into the main house, five years ago. It had seemed like such a big place then, a place that existed only in a fantasy – a place where you were trapped, and forced to live out your daily lives as if you weren't. Then I made friends with Akito. He helped me, like a real brother would… that sounds silly, doesn't it? I mean, he _is_ my brother. But still, he was always there for me, protecting me against the outside world, especially when Osamu, or… Ren-san came to complain. He never let any of them come near me, and for that I was thankful.

But he also helped me in other ways, and it was for that that I was really indebted to him for.

Because my dreams didn't stop.

I thought that being near 'god' would stop them – I had just believed it was another side effect of being away from him… but it didn't. They kept coming, more and more frequently, until now… Now they come every night, plaguing my dreams and turning them into nightmares. Some nights I could barely sleep due to the pain the dreams brought – I just sat there, in the middle of my bed, keeping myself awake any way I could… But even still, I fell asleep, and the dreams came back…

Haunting me…

_Taunting_ me…

Trying to claim what wasn't _theirs_…

What was _mine_… What _is_ mine still…

My life, my family, and my home – this place.

As the years had passed I had grown into this life – it was almost as if it had been made for me… if that were possible, and I loved life. I spent my days mainly with Akito and Yuki, but then Yuki began to go to school. I must say I didn't envy him – I mean, I got to spend all day here, studying when I wanted to, or just lazing around with Akii-kun. Our days weren't particularly planed – some days we would go to the brook just outside the main house and feed the fish, and others we would just sit inside the house in a comfortable silence, just happy to have company.

I learned a lot in the five years though. I learnt more about the general Juunishi and the curse, and I was also introduced to them all. But I learnt the most about three people. The first was Yuki. I learnt more about his likes, his dislikes, and his fears. I learnt to recognise the signs when he was about to have an asthma attack, and when his fear became too much for him to cope with. I also learnt how best to comfort him in his pain and how to make him laugh and smile, and be happy… And I also learnt that it helped him. He wasn't always so dreary and sad when he returned from school, and when we were alone he spoke about the new friends that he had made… and even when he lost them, he told me confidentially that it didn't matter, at least not too much; because they had been his friends for a time and accepted him! Because they had accepted him once, he said, it was fine that they forgot. Because he would _never _forget them…

The second I learnt more about was Akito. My entire world rotated around him, and I noticed clearer the way he reacted to the other Juunishi, and the way they were around him. It seemed like a piece of complex music to me, or a tapestry – I mean, the way everyone moved around him… it was stunning the way the threads were woven by some unnatural being… I also learned who loved him like I did – and those who hated him with a passion, and would hate me and Yuki for being with him. But I also learned more about Akito himself. I learnt what made him angry, and what made him happy. I learned how to counter him famous temper, and how to keep his fury in check. I also learned more about his fears… And because of that I saw through his act, and knew that even when leading our family, and acting as 'god', and a 'leader', he still felt small, and insignificant, and insecure… he reminded me of an older version of Yuki.

The third person I discovered more about was I myself. As I grew older I learned more about myself. I learnt how far I could push myself, and where my limits lay. I also learned about my skills, and where I needed to improve. I learned how best to express myself and how to keep a lid on my feelings, especially when in front of others. And I also learned who would be my friend if I was in trouble, and who would laugh at me if I failed. But I suppose none of that mattered as much as one thing, at least to me. Because I learnt self-control. I learnt how to improve myself, and how to manipulate my zodiac form more to suit me. I spent hours at a time as a bird, soaring through the mountains and the oceans, feeling, maybe not for the first time, freedom. It was such a wonderful word.

And this was the one time that I was glad that the curse had weakened and mutated into something more. Just like Hatori-niisan was no longer the dragon, and just a seahorse, my form had also shifted. No longer was my form the proud and arrogant rooster, who thought himself the best of all the animals, due to his important work. Now my form was swift, and agile – a killer and a predator, as well as a figure of beauty and grace. No longer did I have to cower behind all those other animals for protection. Because now _I_ was the one they needed to be wary of… if they weren't… well, let's just say now I could have my revenge on them if necessary. But my new zodiac form also reflected me, as a person. I was just like the bird that I was – I was swift, and graceful, and agile. But I was also a musician, first and foremost. I was a singer mainly, but I also learned many more instruments, because that was what I was – a songbird. Music was as much my life as Akito and my family were, and no one had tried to stop me from singing, in fact people stopped to _listen _to me sing. Even Osamu couldn't fault my voice, when asked… and neither could any of the others who disliked me. Singing was the one part of me that I could do and unite all those who liked me with all those who hated me.

Standing there, outside the door I remembered all those times, the good, and the bad before remembering why I was here in the first place. And so, I finally got bored of waiting and slid into the room after Yuki.

But it was completely dark. Had I mistaken the room and entered the wrong room?

And the darkness… it was too dark… I could feel my breath speeding up uncontrollably, so I steadied myself against the door, in the process brushing against a light switch. Instinctively I flipped the switch, sighing in relief as light came flooding though the room.

It was only then that I realised that I wasn't alone…

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of young voices called; a collection of my friends all gathered together in a small huddle. But I couldn't help but notice that there was a gap between them all and Yuki and Akito… just a small gap, which everyone was oblivious to, apart from me.

But as the group crowded around me, wishing me a 'happy birthday' I forgot all about it, revelling in the moment as they all pulled me over to their group. But I made sure to sit in that gap, rather than the place they had left, meaning that they all had to crowd around me there, near Akito and Yuki as well.

"Open my present first Akira-chan!" Momiji shouted over the noise.

"No, mine!" Kagura called back.

"Mine!"

"Mine! She'll like mine better – I'm a girl!"

"She will not!"

"Akira-Oneechan…" A small girl of about seven whispered, tugging my Kimono sleeve slightly, keeping close to me.

"Yes Kisa-chan? What do you want?" I smiled at the young girl encouragingly. Ever since the day I had first met her, we had been inseparable, and I had made it part of my routine to take her to and from school, and to play with her as often as I could. She was still wary of Yuki and Akito, but gradually she was opening up more in the main house, not that I made her come in.

"Umm… I was wondering… maybe… umm… could you open my present… please…?" She stuttered, hiding her face in my Kimono after speaking. It was absolutely _adorable_ how she did everything.

"Kisa-chan, of _course_ I will! You don't need to be worried! Come on, where is it…?" I replied softly, to give her more confidence, and finally she uncovered herself and smiled a tiny, sweet smile and pulled out a package, wrapped up in a cute wrapping paper with tigers on.

"Thank you Kisa-chan." I smiled as I opened the present that she had given me. Inside was a photograph, of all the Juunishi and Akito together – I remembered the day when it had been taken. It had been one of the only times when we had all gathered together away from New Year's… and we had actually had an uneventful day, and been _happy_. But it was the frame that was the best part of the picture. It was one of those that you would make out of macaroni or pasta and was in a circle. Kisa had stuck on twelve mini circles around the circle, representing the zodiac. But the biggest circle was the one where the Tori – me, would be. There she had actually tried to stick in the macaroni in the shape of a bird. "Omigosh Kisa-chan! It's absolutely _beautiful_. Thank you so much!"

"It's okay Oneechan…" She smiled and I hugged her tightly, tears of joy falling down my face.

As the hour progressed they all gave me presents, smiling happily as they did. Even Kyo gave me something – a notebook of sheet music, before disappearing from the room altogether. It was only then that I realised that Akito wasn't there, but outside, on the veranda, looking out onto the lake.

"Yuki-kun…" I whispered to him while everyone was leaving to go to school. "How long as Akii-kun been out there?"

"Hmm…? Oh, Akito-sama's been there for… I dunno… half an hour maybe… umm… Oneechan…? Can I give you your present now?"

"Of course Yuki-kun." I replied as he handed me a long package with purple wrapping paper. "This is _perfect_ Yuki-kun… did you _make _this?"

"Yeah… I did… do you like it…?"

"Like it…? Yuki-kun, I _love _it!"

And I truly did. Because inside the box there was a whittled set of pan pipes. They was made of mahogany and so finely made that they could easily be mistaken for something professionally made. But I knew at once that they weren't. Why? Because on each of the thirteen pipes there was the symbol of each Juunishi and the cat engraved perfectly upon them. I looked at the pipe with my sign on it – the pipe that played high "E". And on that pipe there was, yet again, not the symbol of the rooster, but the symbol of that beautiful soaring bird – a true song bird. And on all of the pipes as well, there were the Juunishi, but not _exactly _the same. I mean, Instead of the rat there was a mouse; the ox was replaced by a proud bull, the dog was replaced by a wolf, and so were all the other Juunishi, each with a form that was almost… _better _than they.

"Where did you get the image design from?" I asked him curiously.

"Oh… I just saw the designs around the estate and decided to put them on the pipes… they're pretty, aren't they?" He replied, not really paying too much attention to what he was saying.

"Thank you Yuki-kun for giving me these pipes – I absolutely adore them! Are you off to school now?" I asked as I put the pipes back in their box, and the box in my shoulder bag.

"… Yeah… bye, bye Oneechan!" He called as he left the room, leaving me alone there, with Akito outside.

"_He must be lonely out there," _I thought as I looked out onto him. "_Maybe I should go and keep him company…"_

(LINE BREAK)

_-------------- If you want, you can take a break here to rest if you want, and just come back to the story later, I have to admit, the chapters _are_ very long (lol) --------------_

(LINE BREAK)

As I walked out onto the veranda, I saw Akito standing there, leaning out over the fence. He was perfectly still, just staring, staring out into the lake and the rest of the vast Sohma Empire that he rules. I couldn't see his face as his back was turned away from me, but every now and again his shoulders shuddered slightly. Was he cold…? Or upset…?

"Akii-kun…? Are you alright…?" I asked, leaning against the fence next to him.

"Hmm…?" He looked at me blankly for a moment, before turning away abruptly, and I saw that he was trying to hide his face from me. Because although his face was dry, his eyes were a bitter shade of red. "… Yes… I'm fine Akira-chan… I'm, just… It was just too _crowded_ in there, you know?"

I did know. It was something else that I had learnt about Akito by spending all my time with him. Akito may be good at holding grudges, and hate an awful lot of people and things, but the one thing he hated most of all was his _own_ position in this family – and the Juunishi because his position isolated him. Akito was the god of the Juunishi, a being not part of the circle, but _above it_. And we both knew that that was no better than being and outcast of the circle completely – like Kyo, the Neko. And because I knew how Akito felt about being left alone and abandoned, I knew that I had be the one to find him in the darkness of his fear and fly him down to the safety of the Juunishi circle – after all, _who else would_?

"Yes Akii-kun, I know… But everyone is leaving to go to school now; do you want to go inside…?"

"… Later…" He turned to me again, to see what I was really thinking, and it was then that I realised that he had been holding a box, and subtly keeping it out of my view until now. "I'd like to give you your birthday present now…if that is okay with you…"

That was certainly not what I had expected. I mean, he didn't _need_ to give ne anything – in fact, he had already given me enough by taking me in and being my friend. And yet he was still giving me a present, even though he never gave any of the other Juunishi a present.

"…Yeah… Its fine to open it now… but… shall we sit down first Akii-kun…? You must be cold, standing out on the veranda all alone, come on!" I smiled gleefully as I led him to the chairs that a maid had left out earlier for anyone who wanted to step out onto the veranda.

"Here" He pushed the box across the table shyly, avoiding my eye contact as he did so before speaking bluntly, due to his fear. "I don't know if you'll like it – I… I mean, it's very old and stuff…"

I opened the old leather box to reveal a collection of old-fashioned books, all leather bound. I picked up the first one, the oldest and began to flick through the completely full pages, noticing that the language was one I wasn't completely able to identify… an old version of Japanese maybe…?

"It's perfect." I cut in, still looking at the book in awe. "It's perfect and beautiful… thank you Akii-kun, thank you so much…"

"You… you like it?" I could see hope appearing in his eyes suddenly, and it made me wonder. How long had it been since I had last seen that look in his eyes…? Was the burden of being god doing this to him… crushing all his hope, and happiness…?

"Akii-kun, I don't _like_ it, I_ love_ it! It's _just_ the right present for me, how could you know…? And… how old is it…? It looks like an antique!" I asked suddenly as I flicked through the pages seeing how each chapter had a different persons handwriting, each time the ink getting newer and newer until the last page that was written in, at the end of the last enormous volume in the box, where the ink looked old, but considerable newer than the other people's writing – 10 to fifteen years old maybe…

"Very long. These books date back to the _exact_ date that the curse started, if we assume that the first date is when the Tori first began to write in the first volume. That's what my father told me anyway, when his mother was writing in the books… He said that every Tori that had existed with the curse had written about their lives in the pages of one of these books. It was said that the secret on the origin of the curse is actually written in these pages… Naturally, it means that some of the languages are very old… too old for any Sohma knows around here… and we can't get any outsiders to translate…"

"Why not Akii-kun…?" I asked, still flicking through the first volume. "The languages don't look _too_ difficult to translate… I mean, there _are_ quite a few different languages in them, but look, some old Japanese… and some German… and a chapter in English here… why couldn't you let an outsider read it… I mean, _you could always suppress their memories_…"

The last bit I had added bitterly – I mean, I was still bitter from when it had been ordered for Yuki's friends' memories to be suppressed. I had begged Akito for days to not erase their knowledge of Yuki even existing, but he had remained adamant that they needed to do a thorough job…

"It's not so much that they can't understand the languages Akira-chan." Akito replied, deliberately ignoring my jibe. "It's more… how to explain it… it's more that they can't _see_ the writing at all… It seems that only the Juunishi can actually see the writing, at least, that's what I was told, and even then they can't decipher any of the languages. I thought you might want the books now… even if you can't understand what the past Tori's have put, you can still write in _your_ life in there… that's your right. No one else has had a book quite like all these are…"

"Thank you Akii-kun, I promise that I'll take the best care of it."

"I'm sure that you will – you always do." Akito replied as he left to go inside.

The books truly were enchanting. Each bound in a different shade of leather, going from pure white in the first volume to shades of pink then to a deep pinkie-red in the last Tori's volume. And then on each volume there was the symbol of the Tori on them, a little like the one on my necklace, but different. I mean, the first volume had the exact same pattern; the bird of prey swooping down upon its prey on the way to the banquet. Then, as the volumes progressed, the image of the bird slowly changed from that of an eagle to the traditional rooster, then from the rooster to a smaller bird – a sparrow. And the last change was from the sparrow to a songbird – _my_ form at the moment. It wasn't the same form as the original, but it was one that was _just_ as good, in my opinion at least.

"Here, I had a book made for you to write in…" Akito muttered as he came outside and sat back down opposite me. "It should go with the others… I did order the binding to be changed…"

It did. Made out of blood red leather with silver bindings, the book was stunning. And on the front… there was the same basic design as on the other volumes, but my bird was a proud, glamorous songbird, singing out to the world her tune for all eternity.

"I… I thought it would suit you, seeing as that's what you transform into…"

"Thank you Akii-kun."

We sat in silence after that, not lonely silence, or uncomfortable silence, just silence – a _reflective_ silence. After a while I remembered the present that Yuki had just given to me – was now not a perfect time to use them? So, while Akito wasn't looking I pulled out the box, opened it and pulled out the pipes. After testing the tuning of the pipes a few times, and realising that it was spot on, I began to play.

And goodness! The sound that came out of the humble pipes was captivating! The way all the notes blended together to make a tune was enthralling, and I felt as if I could just stay outside forever playing. So I did. I fluently switched from one tune to the next, playing all those little tunes I had heard but never played, listening with delight as they vibrated through the room. And Akito was captivated as well – I could see by looking at him. Although he had his eyes closed, they weren't screwed up, rather they were relaxed, and he even had a small smile on his face as he listened. And that only inspired me to play more.

I played on well into the afternoon, and even when the sun was setting we still sat there together. But he didn't just listen – he also sang with me. He was so different from Yuki it was almost incomprehensible how they could be related, even if it _was _only through me. They were so… _diverse_. Akito was a stern figure, one who was persistent in showing how he felt, and a very open person who didn't appear to care too much about other people's emotions – even though he did. Even his looks were different to Yuki – his black eyes and hair a complete contrast to Yuki's soft grey hair and purple eyes. And Yuki's entire personality was the polar opposite from Akito. Yuki was soft-spoken, a complete introvert, and rarely let anyone see him for who he truly was. He was also very self-conscious…

Even their voices were different. While Yuki's voice had been a treble boy's voice when I had last sung with him, Akito's voice was lower, and mellower, and, from a musical perspective, it blended in with my voice even better than Yuki's voice had.

But I was related to both of them, and so it was only natural that I had a part of both of them inside me. Admittedly I looked more like Yuki than Akito, with the same soft eyes as Yuki, only mine were white rather than grey, and the exact same face shape as him… or rather he had the same face as me… But I believe my personality is more like Akito's, at least _now_ it is. I mean, I won't allow anyone to take advantage of me, and I won't let anyone believe anything that isn't the complete and utter truth. I also hate the way people talk, not just to me, but to Akito, and little Yuki…

I also have a temper.

Not one as… _forceful_ as Akito's temper, but nevertheless it held power in it, and I could _always_ get my own way when I was like that.

But… I didn't just share Akito's _bad_ traits. I also shared his good traits as well. Like his protectiveness, and that part of him that made him alluring… I too was just like him in that respect…

"Happy Birthday Akira-chan…" He whispered as one of the songs we were singing came to a conclusion. "Have a very happy birthday…"

"Thank you Akii-kun… that means a lot to me, you know?"

We sat in silence after that, watching as the snow fell down, covering the veranda, and us with its velvety softness… We were truly lost in our own little world…

"Akito-sama! Akira-san! What are you both doing out in this weather! You'll catch a cold!"

… Until a maid came in and destroyed the little silence that we had had.

As quick as lightening, the mood I had spent the entire day trying to get him in was gone, replaced with blind fury.

"How _dare_ you come in all guns blazing!" He shrieked at the unfortunate maid, who just so happened to be the chief maid, one whom I had always hated, and who had always hated me as well. To cut the story short, she _loathed_ my position in the family, and the fact that it made me Akito's 'favourite', not that that was how it truly was… "Don't you DARE think that you can tell ME what to do you stupid maid! Akira-chan and I can stay out here as long as we want. So what if it's snowing? She likes the snow. We're staying here."

He only stated the facts, and was acting perfectly adult like, but the maid still treated him like a little child. _For goodness sake he was _**fifteen** _years old!_

"Akito-sama, if you continue to stay outside in this weather, then I will have to get Hatori-san. His orders are for you to stay indoors."

"Orders? ORDERS? Only **I** give the orders! I don't care what that stupid Ryouko _orders_. I'm not obeying! _He _is the one who has to obey MY orders. Come on Akira-chan, we're going!" Never before had I seen Akito so… _furious_! It was completely alien for me to see him like this, and it scared me. Nevertheless, I still picked up the panpipes and box and swiftly followed him, not wanting anyone else to see him like this.

"Where are you going Akito-sama…?" The maid called as we left the veranda and walked through the house and left it, her voice fading away as we moved further away from it.

"W… where are we going Akii-kun…" I whispered as he stormed out of the house and through the gardens, the snow pattering down softly on us as we progressed through the estate. He didn't answer until we reached an old tree, where he sat down, in all the snow and started to hit the tree.

"No where! Everywhere! Here… The stupid people! _Why_ can't they just learn to leave me alone? I'm not some kid with a title that they can take advantage of! I'm old enough to make decisions myself! So _why won't they let me_?" He shouted the last few words, his voice echoing across the silent garden.

"Who won't let you Akii-kun…?" I whispered as I slid down and sat down next to him in the snow, silently telling him that I wouldn't shout at him like everyone else.

"Those stupid elders! Even though _I'm_ the head of this family, they treat me like some kind of _puppet_! Why won't they… let me do my job?" He spat, the hatred in his eyes and the menace in his voice so powerful I actually felt sorry for any of the elders who dared to treat Akito like this – because now Akito was taking control, he wouldn't let _anyone_ stand in his way.

"Then show them that you _can_ do your job Akii-kun. If you prove that to them then they can't play you like a fool. Show them your cunnings and brilliance… They won't be able to refuse. I'm sure of that." I placed my hand on his shoulder to comfort him, and slowly his tensions began to go down, and he started to relax, sinking into the snow slightly.

"I just hate them so much…" He whispered before going into a world of his own.

As we sat there I began to think. What must life actually be like for someone like Akito, a person holding so much power in the family even though he was still only a minor. And how did _he_ feel about it all…? Was he please with the events…? Or was he full of hatred and anguish _because_ he was like this…? Did he only hate the world because it had given him this position, _god_…?

*achooooo*

I blinked suddenly as I sneezed, and caused Akito to jump slightly in shock.

*achooooo*

"A… Akira-chan… Are you alright…? A… are you catching a cold…? M… maybe we _should_ go inside…"

"N… no, it's fine Akii-kun, I'm –"

*achooooo*

Instantly Akito stood up, and pulled me up with him, before starting to lead me to the main house, almost running to get me there.

"We're going back, I don't want you ill. Come on."

"But… come on… I… I wanna… please…" I struggled against him, laughing at his seriousness. "_FINE_, I'll go home!"

As we entered the main house, Hoshi was there waiting, and when she saw us she was shocked. For a moment I wondered why, but then I looked in the full length mirror and saw why. What Hoshi saw was not the stern, pale, _ill_ "Akito-sama" but a smiling, peaceful, _healthy looking_ "Akii-kun" that I knew and loved. He really did look like someone different; laughing had actually done him good!

"Hoshi, take Akira-chan to her room and get her into some warm clothes; she might be getting a cold. I'll go and get Hatori to come and check up on her. Make sure she's warm, okay? She's already started sneezing." He began his orders, deliberately not looking at me, knowing I would just protest, saying that I wasn't important enough… and I wasn't…

"But what about you Akii-kun…? Don't you need to get dry…?" I began to protest, but he just cut me off.

"I'll be fine Akira-chan; you just go off and get dry…" He didn't smile as he faced me, but he didn't scowl either.

"Come on then Akira-san," Hoshi called as she steered me away to my room. "I'll make sure she gets dry, Akito-sama."

"Good…" Was all I heard as I left the entrance hall to enter one of the corridors.

"The Juunishi sure are special, aren't they Akira-san…?" Hoshi asked quietly as we entered my room. "To think that you've had this much of an effect on Akito-sama in the time you've been here… It's amazing…"

"Why…? What was he like before I came…?" I was almost too scared to ask… was he really _that_ bad?

"He was always alone… he never interacted with either the Juunishi or us humans at all, and spent days in solitude… and it made the entire house and all the Juunishi… I don't really know how to explain it… we were all… 'dead', in a way… and then _you_ came, and made him smile… _he had _never_ smiled before you came_, at least, not a happy smile, it was a bitter smile, twisted and cruel… you've made him see all that is good in the world… so I'd like to say thank you for doing that… and I'm sure all the other residents on the inside, and even the Juunishi would extend their thanks… If they only saw what you had done for them…"

"… If only they would open their eyes and see Akito for what he truly was, and not just wander around blindly, only seeing 'god'…" I finished the sentence for her, and she nodded slightly in agreement, an agreement that first formed our friendship – my first friendship since the one I made with Akito, six years ago…

"Come on, let's get you out of those wet cloths…" Hoshi changed the conversation abruptly, changing me into a new Kimono before leaving me alone in my room. "I'll just be next door if you need me at all Akira-san…"

"We've known each other for years Hoshi-san, why don't we use –chan… I'm sick of all these formalities…"

"Very well Akira-sa… Akira-_chan_. It would be an honour."

I smiled to myself as she bowed and left the room silently.

*achooooo*

Eugh… Maybe I _should_ go to sleep… anything to get rid of this damn cold…

"Akira-Oneechan…?" I timid voice whispered from the door, as little Kisa entered the room, shortly followed by her friend Hiro and Yuki, the latter standing at the door, watching to see if anyone came in. "Are… are you okay…? A… Akito-sama ordered… he ordered no one to come and see you… has he… has he… _hurt you_ Oneechan…?"

"What…?" I honestly didn't realise what was being said until the moment had passed, and they were waiting for my answer. Akito, _hurt_ me…? Why would they think such a thing…? "No… No! Akito wouldn't hurt me! He wants what's _best _for me! The only reason why I'm to be left alone is so that I won't catch a cold! He hasn't hurt me!"

I really couldn't understand it. Why was there such a mixed view about Akito…?

I mean, there were the people like Hoshi and me, who saw Akito how he truly was, _as a fifteen year old boy_…

And then there was everyone else, who only saw the figurehead of the great Sohma family and the god of the Juunishi… who were blinded by a title, and couldn't see him for what he truly was… Why couldn't they see him…? It was just so sad…

_**How was I supposed to know that **_that_** was the reason why everything turned out as it has…? How was I supposed to know that their lack of understanding would destroy my life…? How was I supposed to know…?**_

_**How…?**_

* * *


	6. A darker World Part 1

**AN: Yet again, I appologise for the length of the chapter - but trust me; if I had posted the _entire_ chapter then you would have been here for like _years_ reading! ^_^**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_School... it wasn't an experience that I was too familiar with... but I knew that I had to blend in with society... it's just too bad that society didn't want to mix with me..._

**Okay, In this chapter, and maybe the next few, you won't see as much of the other Juunishi, so it may not seem like a fanfic that much - but trust me; it is all for the plot line - I KNOW WHERE IM GOING WITH THINS STORY...**

**... a little...**

**... kinda...**

**... not really...**

**But just carry on reading!**

**Also, this chapter begins to turn my story from a happy little fanfic with Akii-kun being nice into a darker chapter... with Akii-kun still beinkg nice... Because there is bullying in it. I know this may be a sensitive issue for some of you, and is for me, but according to the manga and anime, some of the Juunishi were bullied becasue of their appearences, and other 'talents', so I decided that it would be appropriate if little Akira-Jr went through something like this, so she can... *spoilers for later chapter***

**Also the dreams, THE DREAMS... why hasn't anyone asked me about them? A well...**

**Please read, review and, most importantly, ENJOY!**

**Kaytii/**

**Also, I am on the second part of Blood on their hands (there is "Blood on their hands: The innocence of childhood", then "Blood on their Hands: The darkness of Youth".)**

***************

Blood on their Hands…

The Darkness of Youth: "A darker world" Part 1

_I opened my eyes to find myself in that same dream world as before, with a strange sensation – the Voice creeping around me._

_Thud, thud…_

_I turned around frantically, trying to locate the dreaded Voice, but to no avail…_

_Thud, thud…_

_As I stood up I could feel the sound of laughter echo all around me, forcing me into a dark corner of this figment of my imagination… if it really was part of my imagination…_

_Thud, thud…_

_As the laughter faded away, the Voice came up to me menacingly, pushing me further and further away from the safety of the back door and away from the light that I was sure would come when I awoke…_

_Thud, thud…_

… _If I awoke…_

_Thud, thud…_

_But would light be there when… if I awoke, or else the darkness would be lying in wait to consume me…_

_Thud, thud…_

_The never ending darkness…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_So you've returned to me…" I could feel the Voice creep up to my ear, and whisper threateningly in there, sending shivers down my spine. "I'm glad… it has been… weeks… since you last came to me…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_It's not as if I have a choice, is it…?" I spoke out loud, but my voice shook, just like the rest of me. "I can't help coming here… I never could… No matter how much I try and get away…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_You always have a choice, little girl… like the choice to embrace me… and let me in… to __**submit**__ to me…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_NO! I… I've already told you… I… I… I won't… I can't…" I was shivering uncontrollably now, and the Voice laughed at it… at _me_._

_Thud, thud…_

"_Why are you so fearful of me Akira…?" I flinched as the manifested Voice spoke my name – it killed me to hear _that thing_ say it out loud, even if it _was_ only in my mind…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_I… I… I… I'm… I'm not… just…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Ah… you fearful of what I'll do, to you, and those others that you love… well, it's too late for that, I would have thought that you would have realised that by now Akira-_chan_…"_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Just leave me alone! Leave my dreams alone!" I screamed then, feeling a burning pain move up my body, consuming all of my feelings…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_MAKE IT STOP!" That beating, the beating of my heart – it was destroying me, and giving the voice more strength, as every passing day went by… as every passing dream occurred…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Why should I? I'm not some kind of fairy godmother! I'm more the opposite. Pain is good; YOUR pain is good… It gives me strength… Strength to do _this_…"_

_Thud, thud…_

_It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder, a _real_ hand…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Finally, strength to complete my plans!" The Voice closed in on me, and now I could see the hand, just a floating hand, but it struck me, sending me flying across my dream world…_

_Thud, thud…_

_Never before had the Voice struck me – or physically harmed me – it couldn't…_

_Thud, thud…_

_It had gained its voice eight years ago, but it couldn't actually _harm_ me…_

_Thud, thud…_

… _Until now…_

_Thud, thud…_

_And with every passing visit to this world of nightmares, I was getting weaker and weaker, and becoming ill in __**my**__ world as well as in the dream realm. And the humans… those weak-minded humans were speaking the Voices words… and sending them out into the real world… to torment my dreams… and destroy my reality…_

_Thud, thud…_

_So it could destroy all that was me, seen or unseen…_

_Thud, thud…_

_So that the Voice could destroy my soul, and claim it for itself…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Don't you realise now Akira…? As _**you**_ grow weaker, and fall into that endless slumber that takes life the pitiful life of the human, __**I'll**__ just grow stronger, and be able to get out of this hell, leaving the echo of your existence struggling in here to escape, and save those pitiful humans you call 'family'. But you won't be able to – because I'll keep you close… and __**dead**__…!"_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_Help…" Was all I could whisper as the pain consumed me…_

_Thud, thud…_

"_A… Akira-chan…?" A different voice._

_One that stopped the Voice's tones and drove it away…_

_A human's voice that drew me to the light of day…_

_And away from the nightmares of my childhood…_

"A… Akira-chan…?" A voice called to me, dragging me from the shadows of that terrifying world, and bringing me to the reality of light. "Akira-chain…!"

"…"

"Akira-chan! Wake up!" Hoshi's voice was more urgent than before as she shook me awake. "You're going to be late if you're not careful! Please, just say something!"

"…?" I looked at her questioningly, wondering why I was late. Late for _what_? I didn't do _anything _but read and keep Akito company…

Then it hit me, as I realised what today was.

My first day as a student at a prestigious Junior High School…

My first day occurring about two years late for Junior High, and about eight years late for school overall…

And still my Tori instincts had passed the test with high enough marks to be put up a grade…

… Which I _hadn't _wanted to happen…

"So _now_ you remember! Come on, let's get you ready!" Hoshi said as she began to get me ready for school.

Now I think about it, I remember the conversation that took me to this moment _very _well… and I dearly wish that conversation had never happened…

… Because of what happened during that first day…

One Week earlier… (Begin Flash back)

"Juunishi Akira-san?" I looked up from where I was reading to see one of the older maids standing there at the door to my room, looking in to see where I was in it.

"Yes…?" I didn't bother pretending to be polite – I mean, we both hated each other, and it was only a waste of my breath to even pretend to like her.

"Akito-sama wishes to see you Akira-san, he says it's… important." I could clearly see how bitter she was to not know why I was being summoned, and I couldn't help but smirk to myself. There had once been a time when she was like his mother… no… _better_ than his mother, and would know all the gossip _months_ before anyone else, but those days were now long gone. Since I had arrived, the chief maid had become just another one of those 'incompetent members of so-called staff' who irked him constantly with their droning voices. "I'll take you to him."

I wasn't happy that that had happened because of my arrival – but I wasn't nice enough to complain to Akito about it either – it was just tough luck on her behalf – she should have respected ALL of his decisions.

"Is he in his usual room?" I asked nonchalantly, not wanting to make her suspicious.

"No, he's on the balcony on the top floor room… why?" She trailed off as she realised her mistake.

"I don't need you to accompany then, _thank you very much_. I can find Akii-kun by myself now." I replied demurely as I walked out of my room. "If the meeting is about something… of…importance then he probably won't want anyone else… _interfering _with his plans now, would he?"

_That_ made her angry, and I was pleased that she was – life was _much_ more fun that way…

"Do you think you have the right to call the _head of the family_ by such a title? Akito-sama is a million times higher in rank than _you_, the lowly Tori (bird) of the Juunishi! Even his beloved _Nezumi_ hasn't got the right to call him anything different from anyone else! Show him some respect girl! He doesn't need anyone life _you _fawning around him constantly – it makes him sick!"

She panted after shrieking and I just stared at her, completely unnerved, my heart freezing completely, making me sound different when I spoke to her again… making me sound more like Akito, even if I wasn't speaking the words he would speak… because I knew all of her words to be lies, as they were spoken out of jealousy…

Ah jealousy… a _very_ ugly thing…

"I _do_ treat Akito with respect…" I glared at her as I spoke, forcing her to listen to my words. "… Just in my own way. If you have a problem with how I talk about him, then _take it up with Akito_. He told me to not be so formal; I'm merely obeying his orders, _just like you should be_. So before you talk to _me_ about respect; look at the way _you_ show respect!"

I couldn't stand to be in the same room as her any longer; I just left, slamming the door angrily behind me, leaving her alone to complain to herself about my complete and utter lack of 'manors', because _I didn't care_ what _she_ or any other people thought about me… and I never would…

Well… I'd never let them see that I _did_, at least…

"Akii-kun…?" I stood at the door to his room/ office like place and watched him on his balcony, looking out on all that was owned by Sohma, and all those out there… including the younger Juunishi playing outside, running around cheerfully without a single care in the world, something which both me and Akito were jealous of. "You wanted to see me…?"

"Hmmm…?" He turned around and saw me there, before leaving the balcony and sitting down on some cushions. "O… come in, I need to talk to you…"

I entered the room, and swiftly sat down upon the pile of cushions opposite to where Akito was sitting. To be truthful, I was slightly worried; what would Akito need to tell me that required me to be summoned rather than waiting until I arrived in less than an hour…?

"I want you to go to a school. You need to get a rounded education, and being isolated here won't help you if… if anything happens…" He spoke bluntly, never having been a person to stall at all in conversation. "…Is that okay?"

"Y… yes Akii-kun… that's fine…" I honestly didn't know how to tell him that I feared school the most – because I couldn't stand to be near 'human's' and all of their cruelties – it was hell for me.

"Something's wrong." Akito frowned as he deciphered my expression, trying to figure out why I was upset. "You were bullied, weren't you…?"

He said it so nonchalantly, so straight, that it made me feel as if it were just a normal thing. But then I looked into my brother's eyes. They were burning with a concern that he was too scared to admit to anyone, and I could tell instantly that he was worried, almost terrified that I had been harmed by someone, even if it was years ago…

"Only a couple of times…" I understated on purpose, not wanting him to worry about things that happened years ago, and weren't on my priorities list. "Akii-kun… look… it doesn't matter… all the Juunishi go through it… and I look _a lot_ different even from _them_… It was nothing I couldn't handle…"

…Except I couldn't handle the verbal abuse…

… Or the mental abuse…

… Or the Physical Abuse they sent my way…

… Just because I looked _different_…

**I hated it!**

But I couldn't let Akito know… he'd find a way of getting them punished… even if they did live in Germany…

So I lied, to protect those who had hurt me…

… Did that make me a fool…?

"Right…" He clearly didn't believe me, but he didn't push the matter – did that mean that he knew that it was too painful for me to discuss…? "School starts next week. You may leave now."

Was he in a bad mood…?

I never found out, because he went out on a trip for a few weeks…

(End Flashback)

… And he still hadn't returned to this day.

Admittedly, it had only been a week, and Akito had often left the main house for days at a time to tend to family matters… but still… it worried me when he wasn't here to confide in, and to comfort me… it made me nervous… and I liked to have everything nice and neatly under my wing…

He not being here worried.

"Come on Akira-chan, do you need me to get you ready like a first-grader, or do you think you can manage not to space out for five minutes?" Hoshi asked as she laughed, bringing me straight out of my day dreaming. "Ah, good, you're back with us. I'll come back in five minutes, okay…?"

"Yeah… sure…" I muttered as she left the room cheerfully, humming a lullaby as she went along… the lullaby I had once sung to the now not so little Yuki…

"So… what does this school have as their pathetic excuse for a uniform…?" I wondered about the uniform especially since the school I was going to attend was to be a co-ed school.

That was the only fact I had asked about – I didn't care how much Akito was willing to pay, and I wouldn't argue, _if_ I went to a co-ed school.

And, strangely enough, he agreed to let me go, and had searched for the week to find the best co-ed school around, which, because he was head of the Sohma's, he had me in the school within _minutes_. Anything to do a favour for the Sohma's… and now Akito was on their board of governors… I wonder if they had realised that one of their governors was someone that was only just old enough to leave their school…

The uniform… well… I guess it could have been _worse_… maybe…

The thing that they called a uniform could have been considered a polar opposite to what the traditional "sailor suit" uniform. It consisted of a white shirt, black blazer, and a knee length pleated black skirt, with long white socks. My impressions on it…?

*queue impressions*

Impression #1: _What on Earth is that Ugly black ribbon for…?_

Impression #2: _Omigosh… I'm supposed to _wear_ that?!_

Impression #3: _This looks like some kind of snobby private school uniform that only _rich_ people are meant to wear…_

Impression #4: _O Yeah… I _am_ going to a private school…_

Impression #5: _Where's the door to get out of this room…?_

*End impressions*

Finding that Hoshi was leaning against the door, obviously having had the, now correct, premonition that I would scarper from the house as soon as I saw the uniform, I resigned myself to having to wear that _thing_ out of the house… and dare I say it… _school_…

I must say, I was thankful that Akito had left and hadn't returned – I would never live it down if he, or any of the other Sohma's saw me in this dreaded thing… I didn't even look at myself in the thing – I just put on a coat and buttoned it up before getting ready, pinning my hair up slightly, my fingers shaking due to nerves… I was terrified…

"Are you ready Akira-chan…?" I heard Hoshi ask from the other side of the door.

"Yes Hoshi-chan! You come in now if you want… errm… where are all of my school things…?" I asked, realising only then that there was no bag near my uniform, or any other form of school belongings anywhere.

"Your bag is waiting in the car Akira-chan… all of your school belonging will be given to you when you arrive at the school, come on."

I took one last glance at the room I so desperately wanted to spend the rest of the day in before leaving completely, wrapping the coat even more closely around me in order to hide the stupid uniform.

"Good morning Akira-sama, Hoshi-kun. Where am I to take you today?" I don't know why people were beginning to call me '-Sama', but it kept cropping up. First it was just the odd maid, then Akito's visitors… and then the other Sohma's, all the adults, whether they knew of the Juunishi or not…

"The school please sir." Hoshi replied as she ushered me in the back of the car, and went to the front, chatting lightly with the driver.

It was then that I noticed the school bag. It was made of some completely black material, but the embroidery upon it was zigzag, in a deep pink and purple, making the plain bag seem glamorous. Also, on the corner of the bag, on a pouch, there were some initials embroidered in the same colours as on the rest of the bag, saying "AMS", standing for Akira Mai Sohma.

"Is Kaasan coming after school to finish signing the forms Hoshi-chan? I haven't seen her since by birthday…" Over the years I had gotten used to speaking in just Japanese, rather than flicking through the languages I knew to find the right word for what I wanted to say… but it also meant that I had learnt about how to address different people of different ranks… which had made mine and my mother's closeness stretch slightly…

"No, I'm sorry Akira; your mother is still in Italy with Osamu-san…" She turned around to face me, a look of true sympathy on her face – sympathy I didn't want – or need.

"That's fine then." I replied abruptly, tuning away from her gaze. "Then who's going to sign the forms as my guardian? Akii-kun said that guardianship had been passed to the family for me, but he's still in Europe, isn't he? So who is to sign my forms?"

"Oh… I'm not sure…" It appeared as if she hadn't actually thought about it, but was she lying? "Maybe I could get your niisan to sign the forms… that would be allowed…"

"NO! No way am I being embarrassed by my brother here, okay?" There was no way I would let my brother enter this establishment – EVER.

"Fine, fine…" Hoshi replied defensively, laughing at me at the same time.

As she agreed it was if a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders…

"We're here now Akira-chan…" Hoshi's voice travelled easily through the car as it slowed down and halted, the tinted windows revealing little of the schools appearance. "Don't bother taking the coat with you, okay?"

As the driver opened the door for me, I got my first proper glance at the school and its co-ed inhabitants, some who were crowding around the car to get a glimpse of the new student – me.

"Come on Akira-sama…" Hoshi had instantly referred to me differently, and for a moment I wondered why. It was only _then_ that I realised and remembered that Hoshi was of a lower rank than me, so in public she _had_ to call me by that. But still… it was _strange_. "Stay close to me; you don't want to get lost…"

…Or _transformed_…

"Who is _that_?"

"Is she a new student…?"

"Is she rich…?"

"Is that her _mum_? She looks young enough to be her sister…"

I could hear the voices of the other students clearly around me as I followed Hoshi to the main reception. All were wearing the same uniform as me, and were all gathered in groups. Never before had I been in such an environment, and it scared me to be in a crowd such as this one.

I instantly sighed in relief as we reached the entrance to the school, where no one was trying to crowd around to get a better look at me.

"The head teacher wishes to speak with you Akira before you go to your class – some ridiculous speech about how 'honoured' he is to have a Sohma enrolled in his school rather than the single gender schools like all the previous Juunishi have been… Just do your best to be a credit to our family… but don't bother trying _too_ hard though, I'm sure Akito-sama won't care what his impression of you is anyway."

I smiled at Hoshi as I knocked on the door and was told to 'enter'.

The inside of the office was extravagant, if words could describe it at all. It was made entirely out of mahogany, with an expensive rug laid out onto the floor, and a large empty chair at the other end of the room, opposite the chair that the headmaster sat in. The headmaster himself was fairly young for someone of his position – maybe just over thirty years old, with a full mob of hair to show for it. Neatly dressed, he had on a black suit, meaning that if he hadn't been a good six inches taller than the tallest student he could have been easily mistaken for one of his students from far off.

"Ah… Akira Sohma?" He asked, looking down at his notes, trying to find my file.

"Y… yes Sensei…" I replied, still standing at the doorway to the room.

"Come in then Akira-kun; sit." He indicated to the chair and I gratefully sat down; anything so he wouldn't see my knees shaking uncontrollably. "I've been looking at your records, and it puzzles me deeply…"

I remained silent at this, not knowing the correct answer, and so deeming it best just to leave a respectful silence.

"… We have just received the marks from your entrance exam, and you have passed with _flying colours_, higher even than some of our top students… and yet you aren't a transfer student… you never even completed elementary school… it says here you speak around seven _different_ languages, and yet you have only spent a few months in each of the said countries, at least in the education sense… and there are no records of you attending a Juku (Japanese cram school) before you have taken your entrance exam… so that leaves me to blatantly ask how you have been getting such excellent education, Akira-kun."

At this news I was surprised – I had really only expected to scrape through the exams… after all, I _had _only had a meagre education before taking the exam…

"I… I spend a lot of time with Akito-sama, Sensei…" I started, wondering how to make the excuse believable. "… He being the head of our family meant that he needed a translator sometimes… so I had private lessons… until now…"

Which I had had… for about six months to polish my skills…

"Well, I must say, it is an absolute honour to have someone such as you enter our humble school… I hope that one day we may have the pleasure of meeting your guardian – he is to be one of the schools governors now… Do you know when he will return from his business trip…?" It was obvious that he was just trying to get to Akito through me… but I played along… it was more fun that way…

"I… I am not entirely sure when Akito will return Sensei, as he never specified how long he would take, I'm sorry…" I replied demurely as his face went pale; obviously he had thought that he would have _weeks_ to get prepared for Akito's visit, not _hours_. "But he has been ill for a while, so he may be in a bad mood when he returns to Japan…"

I almost felt like laughing bitterly as the once solid headmaster now was pale white at just the mention that Akito may not be… happy when he came to visit the school.

"Anyway…" He blustered, trying to keep up any previous pretence… and failing miserably… "You are probably wondering which class you are in…"

_Not really…_

"… Well… there _had _been a little mix up you see… because… well… we only got your age _after _we received your test scores… so naturally we assumed that you were older than you _actually_ were…"

"You've put me in the ninth grade, haven't you Sensei?" I asked him bluntly – I _hate_ it when people just keep making excuses for their stupidity… just like Akito does…

"… Yes… I'm sure you'll cope though… Here is your timetable. Go to your home room now and your teacher will take care of you there…"

And with that, I was dismissed.

As I wandered the corridors to the home room I took in the building, looking for places I could run to, and hide… But there were few places that I could escape to. It was a plain red brick building that's squared shape took away any hiding corners, and made the building look more like a prison cell than a school… but to me, the building felt like a **cage**…

Then arrived there, at the classroom.

Class 9c.

My 'home' for… well, for however long I could survive in this place…

_*knock, knock*_

"Come in!" A female voice shouted as I opened the door nervously.

As I walked into the classroom, I imagined myself fleeing, running away from them all before 'accidently' bumping into a guy and transforming, flying away from this god forsaken place. But I knew that I couldn't. First and foremost, because there was a whole classroom of witnesses there to see me run away and transform, and secondly because I didn't want to disappoint my family… my mother… Akii-kun… There was already a lot of gossip and scandal about my _own_ 'position' in the family… especially when it comes to Akito… Doing something as stupid as this would only compromise the secret completely, as well as being problematic for my future in the main house… and my future of seeing my brothers… or _anyone_, for that matter…

So I allowed myself to be beckoned into the crowded room known as a 'classroom', and to let myself relax as I went through the human ritual known by most as 'the first day of school'… and to me known as 'the death that doesn't kill me… unfortunately'…

And today was _exactly_ the same as all those other times I had been through the ritual… Standing at the front of the class with twenty pairs of beady cold eyes staring back at me… Truly, I tell you it was, and still is one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced… and the way my life has been so far… well that's saying something…

"Class, this is Akira Sohma. I would like you all to set a good example for her, and to represent the school with honour. Please make her feel welcome. Sohma-kun, would you like to say a few words about yourself…?"

I had known all along that at least _one _of my new teachers would ask me to introduce myself… but I was still terrified… because there they all were staring at me… and…

And I could tell instantly that they were all thinking about one thing; my age. I may be fairly tall for fourteen… but it was towards the end of the school year and most of the class would be around _fifteen_, maybe even sixteen for some… they were all a few _years_ older than me…

… The girl's stares were all full of hostility towards me – why I couldn't imagine… I couldn't be a threat to them… could I…?

One look at the expressions in the boys' eyes forced me to accept the fact that I _was_ their biggest threat. Because although I looked younger than the youngest of the girls – a prissy fake blond three rows from the front – I didn't exactly look like an elementary student either… and my Tori spirit didn't exactly hinder me, either… My eyes and hair were captivating a=to all those who weren't Juunishi… I suppose I should have expected that they would find me… alluring… but I had never imagined it to be to _this_ extent…

… I could see now why Akii-kun had always wanted me to lead a sheltered life, _away_ from all of these hungry boys…

… The boys with pure menace and greed in their cold, heartless eyes…

"Umm… Hi…" I winced as my voice rang through the room musically – couldn't it _for once _sound NORMAL, rather than ringing constantly – it only drew others further in… or turned them against me completely… "… My name is Akira Sohma… and I've…"

I didn't know what to say; I couldn't tell the truth – I mean, how could I tell them all 'for the last six years I've been the companion to the head of the Sohma family and my god'? They would laugh at me, and think of me as just a servant… or **worse**…

"… I've just moved here from Europe…" I told a white lie… because I _had_ moved from Europe… just not recently… "Before then I was home schooled, but my family decided that I should get a 'proper' education, so I was sent to this school."

That was good. Short and sweet. Nothing to compromising said to get me laughed at from the students, but enough truth in my words to validate my story if they checked my records – which I hoped they didn't…

"Thank you Sohma-kun. There has been a seat arranged for you here, just next to Kenta-kun; all your things are already in your locker just take them out when you need them… Sohma-kun, this is Naomi Kenta, Kenta-kun, this is Akira Sohma, please look after Sohma-kun and make sure she feels welcome during her time here…"

"Yes Sensei" Naomi Kenta's voice shimmered through the room clearly, her unnaturally high voice pricking my instincts instantly; I automatically knew that I should be wary of this girl. I may be a bird, but she was like a wild cat; ready to pounce at the slightest opportunity of me flying low, or letting my guard down.

I was determined never to give her that opportunity.

"Hey Akira-kohai…" She began to speak to me, and from the giggles of the girls behind me, I knew that this was going to be no picnic – more an interrogation. "So… Sensei says that you're a Sohma… is that true?"

"… Yes, it's true… Naomi-sempai" I whispered while sorting out my belongings, avoiding everyone's gaze – I was afraid if I did I would be captured by them… "… I _am_ a 'Sohma'…"

The expression on her face as I spoke was strange – it was an expression I couldn't actually pinpoint… but it looked cruel… "Are you an _inside_ Sohma…? Are you _important _there…?"

What was she doing, seeing if I was eligible to join their 'group'? Why would I want to join a group run by them _anyway_…?

And why was she so curious about my 'station' in the Sohma family? I had never really imagined that the Sohma reputation was so well known – so well known in fact that even a _Junior High_ student knew something about its workings…

…But why should I give in to her, and answer all of her questions…?

"It is none of your business Naomi-sempai if I am a member of the 'inside' family _or_ of the 'outside' family." I turned away from her as I spoke, and began to concentrate on the lesson as the teacher entered the room, speaking directly to her class – _thankfully_ it was in a language I could understand – _German_.

"Guten Morgen meine Klasse. Heute ist am achten Juni. Scrieben Sie vom Lehrbuch. Beginnen."

_Good morning class. Today is the 8__th__ of June. Write from the textbooks. Begin._

It wasn't too difficult a lesson to follow; I supposed that the teacher knew she had a new student, and so was using simpler terms for me to try and catch up with the class…

… Until I looked around the classroom. Everywhere I looked I saw students struggling with the work that I had finished within minutes. Maybe the teacher _hadn't _been going easy for me… rather she had been going easy for _everyone…_

„Haben Sie bereits die Arbeit beendet?"

_Have you already finished the work?_

„Ja Fräulein, ist dort irgend etwas anderes für mich, um zu tun?"

_Yes Miss, is there anything else you would like me to do?_

„Nein…"

As the teacher went to the front of the class to help one of the other girls with their work, I felt a glare rest on me. Glancing quickly to the side I saw Naomi glaring at me hatefully, nothing but pure venom being contained in her gaze, and the tones that dripped from her mouth as she spoke. I was instantly shocked – never before had someone hated me before with such a passion… Even when Isuzu-san found out about mine and Akito's friendship, she hadn't treated me like_ this_… and this girl had no reason to hate me – I had only just met her…

"Miss Know-it-all! After class you **will** come with us and give us answers. You **will not** brush us off as if we're worse than you! _You're _the one who's alone here!" She snarled angrily at me, while kicking me sharply in the ankle, sending my body into a spasm. I could barely stop myself from squealing in pain as she and her friends behind her tittered in amusement at my pain. "Do you understand, or will I have to show you what to do in a more… _forceful_ manor?"

At that moment the school bell rang loudly through the school, and the teacher instantly dismissed the class, eager to be rid of all her tiresome students. I didn't wait a moment longer than I had to; and I didn't answer Naomi's question either. I just left the room as quickly as I could. I had already checked my timetable during the lesson and knew exactly where I was to go for the next lesson without having to ask another student – or worse, one of Naomi's lackeys… so; hopefully Naomi _wouldn't _be in my next class…

It was all the same though, _exactly_ the same as all those other times… Whatever school I went to, however old I was, it was always the same… _always_… There would always be someone who would pick up on my 'oddities', or who would try and catch me… No matter what language I spoke in, there was _always_ someone out there who would want to force me down, and name me an outcast…

… And say that I didn't belong…

… And here… here was no different…

… And I had _so_ wanted it to be different… to be _better_…

… But deep down in my heart, I had known all along that nothing would change, that it would all forever be the same…

For the next few lessons I didn't see Naomi, or any of her friends, but I didn't feel better, either. There were still a lot of strangers there… strangers who just stared at me… it made me so that I struggled to _breath_… and I couldn't help it… _why couldn't I do something about it…?_

Was I really so pathetic…

At lunch I wandered blindly through the corridors, stumbling slightly, and sticking to the shadows whenever someone came. I half-expected Naomi and her crew to be there behind every corner, lurking there to catch me. But I suppose my natural 'animal' instincts kept me from going by a path that she was waiting for me on, as I couldn't see her… or anyone else…

Then I saw an empty room. I didn't think about whether I would get in trouble for being in there or not; I just went in.

The room I had entered was perfect for me; a small music room. Silently I made my way towards the large grand piano there, and sat down at it. As my fingers lovingly caressed the beautiful instrument, my heart suddenly had the urge to play the instrument. So I began to play. The weighted keys were just right, and the piano was almost _exactly_ the same as the one at home, which made me want to play the lovely instrument even more.

I decided not to play any happy songs; after all, I wasn't happy…

So I played slow songs, ballads and tunes in minor keys. There was no sheet music anywhere, so I just played from memory. Song after song, just switching through them, my paranoid mood slowly calming down with each key change, until finally I began to move into more major keys (which sound 'happy'). I then began to meld into some traditional Japanese ballads, before moving onto the one song that was my favourite, one of the songs from that book the traveller had given me almost eight years ago now…

"_Smile…_

…_Whenever you are feeling down…_

… _You know that hope will always come…_

… _To those who dream…_

… _Love…_

… _It lifts us up when we are down…_

… _It gives us strength to carry on…_

… _If we can only--…"_

I suddenly stopped singing as I felt a pair of hands wrap around me under the chest and squeeze, forcing me to be winded.

"Get off me!" I shrieked as I heard laughing from behind me, a tinkering laughter that would have got me _really_ annoyed if it hadn't been for the fact that I was struggling to breathe…

"Are you _scared_, baby?" Naomi sneered as I was forced off the piano seat to face her. "Well maybe you should just go home to your _playmates_! I'm sure you dearest head of family would be all too happy to have you back with him all the time!"

What did _she_ know about my life?

What did she know about _anything_?

So instead of running, I slapped her, square on the face.

How _dare_ she talk about Akii-kun that way?

Naturally, that didn't help my cause.

I don't remember too much of that incident after they started to close in on me, but when I woke up I saw a pair of emerald eyes meeting my silver ones – Naomi's eyes.

"Don't think that you're going to get away with just a few scratches Sohma. Your head of family isn't here to protect you _now_, is he? You **will** get yours after school; mark my words…"

And with that she left me to go back into the world of sleep… by kicking me in the head…

* * *

**AN#2: Like before, if you have any questions, dont hesitate to say.**

* * *


	7. A Darker World Part 2

**AN: Okay, so finally I've posted the next chapter to BOTH - and I'm glad it's finally there, because it took me ages to hand write then type up (i kinda did it during revisions sesions)**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_I sat there on my own, and knew I was alone... hope was gone... but could he bring it back...?_

**Okay, I can promise you now that some of the Juunishi that we all love are coming back next chapter so - yay!**

**And, like always a long chapter - I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!! ^_^**

**Ermm... oh yeah, while i was writing this fanfic I also posted another couple of stories - "The events of Haruhi Suzumiya; revised", a haruhi fanfiction, and two furuba ones; "Hatsuyuki Shinerera" and "Yokoshima Mitsukai", both Yuki based fan fics.**

**As always, please read, review and enjoy.**

**Kaytii/**

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunatly my MUM found my plans to rule the world engraved on a melting chocolate bar and chucked them away, so while I rewrite them on something less... delisious, I still don't own fruits basket!**

Blood ontheir Hands…

The darkness of Youth: A Darker World Part 2

_It was the middle of the day in this dream… which was strange in itself._

_Never before had I dreamed of light, and hope… it had to be too good to be true…_

… _And it __**was**__…_

"_Do you like this new world I have been creating, __**just for you**__…?" The Voice whispered seductively behind me as the skies darkened and trees rose out from the ground. No… they _weren't_ trees… they were __**bars**__… __**PRISON **__bars… __**cage**__ bars…_

"_No… let me out of here!" I began to run away, but just as I reached the borders of the cage, the manifested hand grasped my shoulder roughly and shoved me cruelly down onto the now concrete floor. "Please…"_

_As I whispered the last word, the darkness fully consumed the world that had been there before… a world, that for a minute, I had hoped was the __**real**__ one…_

"_What is the meaning of all of this Voice?" I whispered as the Voice's laughs echoed around the cell, consuming all the silence and banishing it, leaving an eerie quiet scream in its place. "W… where… where _am_ I?"_

_I couldn't bear to look at this place anymore; it was killing me to see so much terror… But closing my eyes didn't help; it just meant that I could hear that eerie shriek even clearer… a scream that I knew would be mine if I weren't careful…_

"_Are you scared little Akira…? Such a __**pity**__… are you really telling me that you don't recognise this place… you don't recognise that place where you found…"_

"_NO!" I screamed, almost completely drowning out the rest of her sentence – almost. I still had to hear the Voices poisonous words… and I couldn't stand it!_

_Why could I just be left alone?_

"_Do you really want me to leave you alone Akira…? Alone __**here**__ with no means of escape…? Alone to __**die**__…?"_

_The Voice knows damn well that __**that**__ was __**not**__ what I meant. I didn't want to be left alone __**here**__… just in my own world…_

"_But you know why I can't let you go, don't you little Akira…? Because then I'd be stuck __**here**__ alone… and besides, __**where would I be entertained**__?"_

"_Stop… stop screwing around with me…" I pleaded with the Voice, but it just laughed at me._

"_Ah… __**spoilsport**__… I enjoy 'screwing' around with you… you are so… resilient… It is so… refreshing from all those other pathetic Tori's minds that I've taken over… maybe it's because you're so close to him…"_

"_Leave him out of this!" I never mentioned anything about the other world in this place of nightmares, in fear that anything I said would be used against me, but still… that Voice always knew __**exactly**__ what to say to crush my spirits..._

"_Why…? Life is __**a lot**__ more fun this way…"_

"_You're SICK, you know that?" I screamed at the Voice, rage fuelling my voice._

"_And soon, little Akira, __**you'll**__ be out of my way, with all you memories tucked away at my disposal…"_

"_No! I won't let it happen…" I could feel myself weakening already in this stupid body in this __**nightmarish**__ world… "No… He… he…"_

"_Poor you!" The Voice sneered coming closer to me and putting the invisible arm with that creepy hand around me tightly, holding me close to it. "But don't worry little Akira… Even when the world looks bleak, and in despair, and you wish that you were dead; __**I**__ won't abandon you, even though I'm planning all this. You'll always have me…"_

"_Maybe I… maybe I don't want you…" I whispered, and we both knew it to be true._

_*slap*_

_I let my hand rise to where the blood was rushing to my cheek; where the Voice had just slapped me – __**hard**__. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, trying to break free and struggle down my face, but I wouldn't let them; I couldn't show __**any **__weaknesses in this place – __**ever**__… It was exactly what she was looking for…_

"_Don't talk like that here! You have no right to say things like that in this place – in __**my**__ place!" The Voice shrieked furiously at me, and I couldn't help but shiver in fear for a brief moment, as the dream world turned colder and faded away into blackness, leaving me alone…_

_**All**__ alone…_

_Then there was a light, just a faint one – but enough of a light for me to crawl out of my slumber…_

"_Remember, I will be with you __**wherever**__ you are…"_

I woke up to find myself still in that music room, a room that was now destroyed. Quickly, I tried to stand up, to get away from this place… but I couldn't. Maybe it was the cuts and bruises that I could feel all over me… or the hand placed upon my shoulder, keeping me down firmly… and yet not harshly… a hand I believed to be a friend, and not a hindrance…

"Ssssh stay down… you don't want to hurt yourself now child, do you…?"

I opened my eyes again, wearily this time, and saw the German teacher from before standing there, looking down upon me with concern.

"Fraulein Sohma…? Here, come on, let's sit you on this chair now…" She asked as she slowly helped me up, and sat me upon a chair. "How did this happen…? Who caused you these injuries…? … Was it Fraulein Kenta…?"

How could she know, so easily, without any proof?

Did this mean that Naomi had done this to others as well as to me…?

And if she did, and the teachers knew, then why did she stay in this school…?

But I couldn't tell anyone about what Naomi had been doing – I knew well enough by now how bully's work and that it would give me _more_ trouble… and I was going to ignore all of that trouble if I could…

… And ignore Naomi as well…

… Because if I didn't, then life would get much, _much_ worse… here, at school at least…

"It is nothing Sensei… Nothing I can't deal with anyway…" I smiled weakly up at her, knowing that it didn't matter if she believed me or not – because either way, she couldn't do anything about it… just because I had _said_ that I was fine.

"Very well…" She looked troubled, and I really couldn't blame her to be honest… but I couldn't let myself get swamped by those emotions either… "What class do you have next? I'll take you there so that you don't get into any more… trouble… but would you like to go to the nurse first so she can have a look at your wounds…? You may have concussion…"

No matter how much I wanted to go to the nurse, and be sent home early I knew I couldn't; because then Naomi would just be crueler when I returned to the school…

… Or she would take it out on the other students…

I couldn't let **that** happen.

"N… no it's fine Sensei… There is a doctor in the main estate… I'll just get the car to bring me there first when I'm being collected from school by whoever's signing my forms… I don't want to trouble anyone just because I have a few scratches…"

And I really didn't… I really didn't want to rely on anyone else… it makes me feel completely useless to rely on others… useless and pathetic…

"Then let's take you to your next class…" She smiled gently as she helped me up off the chair and guided me gently through the corridors, to a bigger music room a few minutes away. The journey was one in silence, and as the German teacher helped me limp over to the other music rooms, I felt everything within me get heavier, and again I felt like running away… Why did this school and that girl make me wish I was at the other end of the world…? I had never felt this urgent need to flee before… It was like the whole school was a forest… a forest on **fire**…

"Herr Johnston, I have just been speaking with Fraulein Sohma. Please excuse her lateness." As I entered the classroom it seemed just like all the other classes, but I also noticed those subtle factors in it that kind of made the room seem that little bit unnatural… Like the groupings. There was a distinct divide between the class. On one side, the side nearest the window were all the 'popular' _rich_ students, the students who had come here due to the influence of their famous families; the Kenta's, the Daiki's, the Jirou's, and even a few Sohma's sometimes. In other words, the ones who weren't necessarily clever, but graduated through life because of the size of their wallets – and were therefore generally bullies towards the other half of the class.

The other half of the class – well they really _were_ the cleaver ones who got into the school due to their smarts – and were only there to keep the school's average up. It was always these students who were picked on, and laughed at, and isolated from the rest of the class – not due to how cleaver they were, but due to their wealth. It was pathetic to see a system such as this in a _school_!

"That's fine, come on Sohma-kun… just take a seat down there, I'm sure you'll catch up with the lesson." I snapped out of my thoughts as he spoke directly to me for the first time. The music teacher must have been in his mid thirties, with a slightly melodic voice that gave away the fact he had once dreamed of being a singer. He may not have been handsome, but there was a sparkle in his eye that made people automatically listen to him – and I could tell that **no one** gave him trouble in _this_ class, at least.

As I sat down I noticed that Naomi was at the other end of the room, glaring poisonously at me, _obviously_ displeased that I was still conscious, and attending the one subject that I was best at – a subject I might outshine her at again… well… if I sung I would… and I had **no** intention of singing in front of a group of this size – I mean until then I had never sang in front of any9one other than a few members of my close 'insider' family!

I sat in silence as one by one the teacher called out each student to perform, until it was Naomi's turn. Each student had brought an instrument with them, but when Naomi came up with just her voice, I was surprised to hear the suppressed groans from those around us, giving away the fact that they were dreading her latest performance… was she really _that_ bad…?

As she opened her mouth, I realised why everyone was groaning, and I felt like covering my own ears in agony – her voice was _terrible_! She had no nerves whatsoever as she began to sing a song that should have been beautiful and melodic and now was completely destroyed. I would now never be able to listen to that song without being reminded of that rendition that I heard today…

You could tell by looking at her that she was fantasising about making a career of singing… but I highly doubted that all the fortunes and influences in the world would make up for that… _voice _she possessed. It was… scary… to put it mildly… and everyone else seemed to think so, even her closest friends, most of which were looking at Naomi with more of a grimes than an admiring smile, with headphones in their ears that barely even drowned out her dulcet tones.

As her song concluded and she sat down, there was a general round of applause, but no one cheered to her performance at all, or congratulated her as she bowed to an invisible admiring audience and returned to her place.

"Well, if that's everyone then shall we call it a day?" The teacher asked in a monotone as Naomi finally sat down, oblivious to what the others thought of her… talents… "Okay, homework everyone… I want you to…"

"Sensei…?" Naomi's voice suddenly cropped up, and she instantly had everyone's attention – including mine… unfortunately… "You have forgotten my… _charge_… Shouldn't she get a turn at performing? I hear she can sing like… like a bird…"

How could she be so accurate in her insults, and yet know nothing…?

Her cool cutting remarks I could tell now, would hurt me far more than any physical harm to me… and I believe that after years of bullying she had realised that too – even if it were just so that no evidence could be proved about her actions towards her victims…

"Another singer eh?" I could see the immediate apprehension in the teacher's eyes crop up, and I knew instantly that he feared I would be another "Naomi" voice alike… which I certainly _wasn't_… Even if I do say so myself… "Well, I suppose I'll just have to invite you to sing… if that is what you wish for Sohma-kun… Will you need an accompaniment for your song or shall you sing acapella today?"

"Umm…" I hadn't thought about that… because I hadn't thought that I would have to perform on my first day at a new school… on a day when I hadn't even known that I would have a music lesson… After all, I hadn't got a backing track or any sheet music prepared for a performance… so I would just have to sing on my own… acapella… If I could muster up the courage… "I… I'll sing acapella… if that's okay… Sensei…"

As I nervously stood up shaking and walked slowly and steadily up to the podium I was absolutely terrified; I felt as if every glance or snicker was directed straight at me… and I could do nothing about it without getting even **more** attention. All I could do to get out of this situation was calm down my nerves and sing with all my heart…

… But my throat was dry… and I couldn't make a sound… I couldn't sing…

I began to panic…

But…

… This is _exactly_ what Naomi Kenta had wanted; for me to be embarrassed in front of what would have been my favourite class and transferred to someplace where she couldn't be outshined… not that it would have been hard to outshine her…

So I decided to sing a song I knew the best… a song that wouldn't show off too much, but would be enough for them all to realise that I _could_ sing… at least a little…

"_I feel the world waiting for me…_

… _Sinking through the darkness…_

… _Hope and love are always there…_

… _But why do they hide from me…?_

… _Why am I always left alone…?"_

As I broke off from the traditional lyrics and went into the improvisation section, the audience seemed to go wild. Everywhere I looked there were people gazing admiringly at me… well… everywhere I looked… I didn't look to the side of the class where Naomi resided… As the song ended I broke off shyly, looking nervously for the reaction of my classmates…

… And there was uproar… a _good_ uproar! I smiled gratefully as the class broke out into rounds of applause… well… _nearly_ all of them…

"Thank you Sohma-kun for performing for us… I must say I was exceedingly surprised when I heard you… well done…"

I sat down embarrassed as the people around me patted my back and smiled at me. Maybe I _could_ make friends with 'outsiders'…

I sat in silence for the remainder of the lesson, humming to myself as I copied down the notes off the board, and filled in my planner neatly, waiting for the class to end… and dreading what would happen when it did…

As the school bell rang loudly throughout the building I waited in silence while all of the students filed out of the classroom in small groups, not bothering to be discrete as they stared openly at me, the boys wondering who this mysterious girl was who could sing the best in the class, and some of the girls, especially Naomi Kenta and her group of rich snobs, gave me poisonous glares, trying to scare me while being envious of me at the same time…

I, myself were thinking about, at times like these, how much I loathed being possessed by the sweet-voiced songbird… but I knew that there was no point in dwelling over things that would never have the slightest hope in changing and so I sat at the piano when everyone had left and began to play a little to myself. Admittedly, although none of the school piano's were anywhere near as good as the grand piano that was at the main house which I used when playing, but the tone was good enough for the piano to make the melodies sound tuneful, even if they did not have the same mystical tones as the sound of my own piano. As I absorbed myself into the music, I started playing a few scales before getting impatient and quickly switching to play some of the tunes I had easily learned by memory as a child.

As I began the repertoire I had learnt for years and thought painstakingly simple I heard the teacher pause in his packing up to listen to my playing.

Never before had I _played_ to an audience – sure, I had sung at the main estate a few times on special occasions, but I had always kept my other musical abilities a secret from all but Akito and my little brother… But now, playing in front of this musical expert, I suddenly felt a rush of confidence flow through m as I continued to play the tunes I loved so much. As the last notes of the latest song faded throughout the room and I stood up from the piano to leave, the music teacher spoke to me.

"Sohma-kun?" He called to me and I turned around to see him staring in admiration at the piano, and the music that had just come out of it. "May I ask who your piano teacher is? Such an expert teacher would be well off if he or she joined the school as a private teacher."

"Oh…" How could I tell him that I had always taught myself? I mean… I didn't want to sound conceited or anything… "Well… Sensei… I… I kind of taught myself… The head of my family never deemed it necessary to provide me with a tutor at the rate I was leaning… he thought it would be too… _restricting_ for me to have a set tutor… I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use Sensei…"

"Nonsense, child. If you have learnt to master that instrument on your own then you will have a fruitful career in music, should that be your wish… but I suppose you would take a more academic career in the future though, wouldn't you… I mean… due to your entrance exam results and being a 'Sohma' and all of that…"

"No Sensei," I corrected him, exceedingly pleased that he thought highly of my skills, but insulted, that again someone was judging me, and my future plans based on my _surname_, and not what I really was… "I have never thought about following an academic career… I love music too much! It seems now to be my entire life… singing… and playing… and performing… It is one of my greatest wishes to master as many musical instruments as I can… And hopefully, in a school environment I will be exposed to many more than if I was just on my own in the Sohma estate…"

"Well then I wish you good luck in your pursuit, Sohma-kun. If you ever want access to any of the schools music rooms, just find me. However, now I need to head off home to my family. If you'll excuse me, I'll need to lock up the room. Are you catching a bus or getting a lift Sohma-kun?"

I thought for a moment, and then remembered that Hoshi would be coming in to fill out my forms with a relative. "I believe I am getting a lift Sensei, when someone comes to complete my enrolment forms."

"Very well Sohma-kun, goodbye."

"Goodbye Sensei." I replied as he turned left to the car park and I tuned right to the top playground, where Hoshi had said she'd meet me…

… And where Naomi and her cronies were lying in wait for me. Apparently they hadn't got bored of waiting for my while I was in the music room, and had meant full well that I was going to pay for talking back to them…

… _Help_…

Trying not to look at either Naomi or her cronies I walked silently through the playground, and for a moment, when I was near to the gate, I thought that they actually _might_ leave me alone…

… But I had thought too soon, unfortunately…

"Hey! Sohma! Are you ignoring us?" Naomi's false high voice carried easily across the playground, and froze me solid where I stood, terrified about what was going to happen to me. "Come over here now and help us understand something!"

I couldn't help but take a step away from them – I was terrified that they would kill me… but of course, it was the wrong thing to do – just like all the options I always chose…

Instantly I felt two rough, manicured pairs of hands upon my shoulders, dragging me back quickly across the schoolyard to where Naomi was leaning casually against a wall, a menacing gleam in her cruel eyes as she saw me struggle fruitlessly

"So, Akira-kohai…" She began, circling me like she was a bird of prey, and I was her next meal… "You kept us waiting. I thought you were _never_ going to leave that stupid room with _witnesses_ in it…"

She came in close to me and slapped me lightly, causing me to flinch and fall back slightly into the arms that were holding me firmly, arms there to make sure that I didn't, and couldn't escape.

"How rude to keep _me_, a Kenta waiting." What was she implying there? Everyone knew that although the Kenta's were one of the most revered and feared families in Japan, they were _nothing_ compared to the worldwide influence that the Sohma's possessed… So why was she acting as if she were the queen-bee of the world, at the top of the schools ranking system…?

"I suppose you don't know about _my_ own position in the Kenta's do you? I am the only niece of the _head of the Kenta family_. You can't get a much higher position than that in Japan, can you? Just because you are a high ranking Sohma doesn't mean you surpass me, does it?"

She came in again and shoved me harder this time, forcing me against the wall, kicking me…

I don't remember much of the time she let her fury out on me – I tried to draw my mind away from it all and concentrate on those little insignificant things that were occurring while I was in agony, like the way the other Sohma's in Naomi's group were looking uncomfortable, and… _scared_ that they would be the first ones to receive punishment from the head of their family – the one person everyone in our family feared, even if it was only a little for some of them.

But the thing I remember the most were the words she said; the words that had most likely come from the gossip the Sohma's spread throughout the estate – words about Akito and me that **weren't true**. Just because they didn't know that we shared a father… not even Yuki did, so they made assumptions… assumptions that **were not true**…

… But when did that ever matter when it came to gossip? The more vindictive it was, the more fun it was to spread about… even when the parties involved got hurt…

"You don't even **deserve** your position in your family, not like I do. My high position comes from a _hereditary_ background! And where does **your** position come from? Sucking up to the head of your family! And doing **everything he wants**…"

I knew the words were untrue, and I could stop all the accusations easily; but I didn't have the time to. I could feel my heart beat racing and my asthma beginning to play up, and as I breathed deeply I struggled to retain my human form – if I didn't, I'd be even more vulnerable to the asthma… and to their attacks…

Why did everyone who didn't know the truth **always** assume that Akito and I were… I dunno really… like _together _together…? I could even see the assumptions in my brothers' eyes, because '_why else would I put up with the crazy head of our family_'? Yes, I loved Akito Sohma – but as a **family** love, not a romantic love! He was my brother and best friend, and no one had ever seen us as anything else, so why did they have to make up a situation to explain my devotion to him – especially one as crazy as _that_!

As the onslaught continued I blocked my ears and eyes to it all, and concentrated on other things. But no matter how much I tried to drown that specific thought out of my mind, it kept creeping back in, stronger each time…

_-'Why does she sound just like the Voice…? Could—'-_

I couldn't let myself think things like this – it wouldn't help me get out of this situation if I gave into the darkness inside me… I _had_ to keep fighting it… I had to…

And then, suddenly, as soon as I decided to keep fighting back, Naomi's onslaught stopped. Wearily I opened my eyes slightly, to see what had caused her to stop, I saw the one person I had _least_ expected to see coming up towards us… As my eyes widened in shock at what I saw behind her, Naomi smiled cruelly, thinking that I was afraid of her. But the smile soon froze on her face as she realised that someone was standing directly behind her, a person who had a bigger aura of power that she would ever have – and a person who was absolutely _furious_ at what he saw…

"Get off her you imprudent _bitch_…" He whispered menacingly into her ear, and even though she shuddered at the sound of his cold voice, like all did when they first heard it, her complete ignorance for the Sohma workings, and her 'high and mighty' opinion of herself caused her to make the mistake of talking back to him – to _insulting_ him…

"Who are **you** to tell **me** what to do? Do you realise who I am?" She tried to turn around and confront him openly, but the hand that now resided on her cheek stopped her from seeing who was behind her – and fear started to creep into her eyes, for what seemed like the first time **ever**…

"Of course I do Naomi Kenta – I have had a lot of dealings with your father and Uncle over the years, but it seems they haven't told you **all** about me… Do you know who I **really**am?" He smirked, but it wasn't his usual warm smile… it was his cold, calculating smile, a smile he reserved only for when we was _really_ pissed off… Not just his normal anger either, which everyone was used to… this anger was different, more powerful… _controlled_ and if Akito knew what he was doing when in a mood like this… then I would feel sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of his temper, but at the same time be eternally grateful that it wasn't _me_ on the receiving end of his anger.

"I… I… I'm… I'm…" She stuttered for a moment, and I could now see clearly the fear that resided in her face, and the paleness of her tanned skin in comparison to her fake blond hair…

"Akira-chan…?" Akito turned to me now, his eyes softening as his gaze rested upon mine, but his face was still hard, and his voice was strained; I could tell that he was trying his hardest to keep his temper reigned in, so as not to cause a scene in front of others who didn't know about his lack of self control… "Would you please care to introduce myself and this Kenta girl, seeing as you seem to be more acquainted with her than I am personally?"

"Of course Akito-**sama**, it would be my absolute _pleasure_…" I referred to him like that just once, so that she would completely understand who Akito really was. "Akii-kun, this is Naomi Kenta, the youngest niece of the leader of the Kenta family, _as you already know_…"

I accented the last bit more, so that it would get through to all present that Akito Sohma knew **far** more about the world than some Kenta girl, even if she were also from an influential family and only just a little younger than he was. Why did he know more? Because he was god.

"Naomi-sempai," I still forced myself to treat her respectfully, even in a situation like this - after all, I had been brought up as the sister to the clan leader, and that me the leading female representative of the Sohma's… even if I _was_ a little younger than most others who held the position… "This is the man that you have just been talking about, _within his hearing, _is Akito Sohma, the clan **head **of the Sohma family… and my _**brother**_…"

If it was possible, her face went even paler as she realised her mistake and turned around to face 'god' for the first time…

"Hatori…?" Akito called for the now 23 year old Dr. Hatori Sohma as he helped me up gently, his glare directed at Naomi and the others keeping those who hadn't already left from running away. "Go get the principle of this… school… It seems as if now I need more than just a _little_ word with him…"

"Yes Akito-sama… but shouldn't I deal with Akira-chan's injuries first…? She _is_ bleeding, after all…"

We both looked sharply down to where he was indicating and saw immediately that there was blood on Akito's hands from where he had helped me up, and then blood seeping through my dark school uniform, dripping delicately down onto the schoolyard, leaving drops of rubies lying there. Immediately Akito's gaze intensified considerably as he glared at the girl who had done this to me, causing Naomi to break down completely and throw all her pride away…

""P… please… please don't tell Uncle Kenta… _Please_! I… I didn't mean to hurt Akira… not like _this_ anyway…" It seemed that instantly Naomi was a sobbing wreck, and for a moment I actually felt a little sorry for her… but Akito evidently didn't – he could see _clearly_ through her 'act'… If it _were_ actually an act…

"Of course you meant to hurt Akira-chan! I _saw_ you attack her in cold blood! You piece of _scum_!" He scoffed at her before turning his back to her in contempt, and facing Hatori, silently asking why Hatori hadn't instantly obeyed his orders, especially in front of other Sohma's. But Hatori still didn't move, looking at me… or rather, my _wounds_…

"Go Hatori-san… I… I'm not _too_ badly hurt… I'll be fine… for a short while, at least…" I could tell that the Doctor part of Hatori was still telling him to stay with me… but the Juunishi part of him was commanding him to follow Akito's words. And with my confirmation of his words, at least Hatori went off knowing he had _tried_…

I looked around cautiously, trying not to move my throbbing body, and saw for the first time the dismal scene that had been caused because of me. Naomi was in a corner, terrified that she would get into more trouble with her family, and not just Akito, her friends were sitting and standing silently around the schoolyard, all in deep thought about what would happen to _them_ for helping Naomi in her deed. Then I turned slowly to face Akito, and saw him standing there impassively, a face of power, and a judge at the gates of heaven. He was strange… he wasn't the Akito _I_ knew… he was… _different_… scary…

"A… Akii-kun…" I walked up to him slowly, wondering to myself _'would he recognise even me when he is like this…?'_ "I… I… I'm okay… _really_… I… I'm f--…"

"NO YOU ARE NOT!" He interrupted me, shrieking wildly, and turning to face Naomi, rage in his eyes. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE OKAY WHEN THAT _THING_…"

He pointed roughly to Naomi while he spoke, and she shuddered violently, creeping further back into her corner, fresh tears appearing in her eyes.

"… HAS DONE _THIS_ TO YOU! **LOOK AT YOURSELF! **SHE'S COMPLETELY DESTROYED YOU'RE BLOODY SPIRIT! IF AKIRA DOESN'T GET BETTER KENTA, THEN YOU WILL BE IN EVEN MORE TROUBLE THAN YOU ARE NOW!"

Even though Akito was only fifteen, he seemed much, much older, and as I approached him again, I was terrified that the old Akito wouldn't be in there… and wouldn't return to this world… wouldn't return to _me_…

"A… Akii-kun… It alright… _really_… You don't have to be so angry Akii-kun… just go and talk to the principle… it doesn't have to be all like this… I don't want it to be like this…"

Even though I only whispered to him, and he was the only one who heard my pleas, it seemed to get him to calm down… he closed his eyes and leaned gently against a wall, shutting out all the hatred inside him.

"Very well Akira-chan…" His voice was hard… but it was also honest, so I knew that even though he wanted to tear them limb from limb, I knew he wouldn't. "I shall wait until I can do all of this… _legally_… But this Kenta girl **will** pay for what she has done to you – I will see to it personally, mark my words…"

As he finished promising to me, Hatori exited the building next door, with the principle following quickly, concern on his youngish face as he saw Akito there, thunder in his face.

"A… Akito-sama! S… such an _honour_ to have you visit our humble school… b… but I… I thought that y… you were away at the present moment…"

"I **was** away at a conference, but then I had to come and sign Akira's enrolment documentation… but **then** when I arrive I find her being _assaulted_ by one of your students. That _idiot_ Kenta girl is not even good enough to _speak_ to my Akira, let alone treat her in a manor such as the one she's given to Akira. I want Naomi Kenta expelled tonight."

"B… but she… her… her uncle…" The principle began to splutter, and I couldn't really blame him – the Kenta's had quite a few of their children enrolled at this middle high school, and must be paying _millions_ for their tuition. Without the Kenta's there, the schools population, and their reputation would go down _considerably_…

"Expel the girl, or I shall make sure that the reputation of this school is permanently _ruined_." Everyone in the area must have jumped at Akito's sudden outburst of coldness, _I_ did.

"Umm… but the schools sponsorship…" So that was why the school allowed Naomi to remain in school even after all of the incidents she must have caused – because her family bribed them to…

"Fine. If that is how you see it…" His fury had now turned cold and hard, and even though the principle was over fifteen years older than Akito, Akito still appeared far more superior than the older man in this situation. "Come on Akira-chan, we'll take you to hospital, and then we shall report what has happened to the police. I'm sure a full scale enquiry will be put into both the school and the Kenta family… after all the Sohma's _do_ sponsor the annual police charity events…"

To that the uncontrollable sobbing of Naomi grew even _louder_, and the principle grew paler. Akito just smirked at the effects that his words had caused, and began to walk away, me trailing behind obediently. As I walked away from Naomi, I heard her mutter something _very_ inappropriate. Glancing at Akito slightly as I slid into the limo behind him, I realised he had heard her comment as well, but he wasn't doing anything about it – because I had begged him not to resort to violence – a thing he clearly really wanted to do.

"Where does it hurt Akira-chan?" Akito was barely murmuring as he asked me, and even with my hearing I had to strain to catch his words. "Please, _tell me_…"

"I… it doesn't hurt much Akito…" I replied weakly, hating myself for causing so much trouble…

"But it's hurting you mentally, isn't it…?" He looked directly into my eyes, and I shivered slightly, wondering why his eyes could still have so much of an effect on me. "What did she say to you Akira-chan…?"

"N… nothing that matters…" I lied to him, unwilling to get anyone else in trouble… but that look in his eyes, so caring, and yet so… _great_ forced me to admit the truth to him. "W… well… s… She had just picked up some of the gossip from the outside estate… it was just a bit of idle gossip… I wasn't affected by it…"

"You do realise that I can always tell when you're lying, don't you? It would hurt anyone… it hurt _me_ to hear them saying those things to you even…" I looked directly into his eyes and saw some of that vulnerability in them again, and I couldn't help but reach out a hand to meet his, our fingers entwining together.

**What I didn't realise was that when I returned; everyone just assumed that it was **_**Akito **_**that had hurt me, and not an outsider that had never met me before. I was so ignorant to it all I didn't even realise that they spoke behind our backs about it all, and that their opinion was changed about him. I was so… **_**blissfully**_** ignorant to it all that I didn't even realise that some of them thought that I was a fool, or under a delusion… or **_**trapped**_** to be living with Akito. I didn't realise any of that because I didn't view life the same way as they all did.**

**I had **_**never **_**viewed life like that…**

**And maybe that was my biggest mistake…**

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading.**


	8. Monsters and Demons

**AN: Hiya readers, atm I'm on work experiencce, so I haven't been updating as much, but I finally got half a day off to write this chapter for you all, so I hope you enjoy...**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_Today fears will be realised, monsters awakened and bonds formed - but will we all survive by the end of the day...?_

**Okay, so everyone, please please review, and I really do hope you enjoy reading this chapter...**

**Kaytii/**

**Also, please check out my forum - "the outsiders" - it is going to be about one of my 'up-and-coming' stories... just check it out ^_^**

Blood on their hands…

The Darkness of Youth: Monsters and Demons

_-------------------Akito's POV-----------------------_

Today was the day.

The day I had to face death and terror itself… for the first time ever…

The day I had to take off that… _cats_ beads…

The one day I had been dreading for what seemed like all eternity… when I had to face one of the monsters plaguing my dreams…

… And a day, and nightmare that I had to face all on my own…

… Because she wasn't there to help me…

_-------------------Hoshi's POV-----------------------_

Half an hour earlier…

"Hey, Onee-san… is that you?" I turned around from sweeping the corridors to see now not so little Akira running up to me, her long elegant silver hair flowing behind her gracefully, making it look like she was a bird in flight. It took my breath away to see her like that – and it was the same for all who met her… even though little Akira didn't realise it, she had an amazing effect on people whenever they saw her, or heard her speak; people just couldn't help but come to her eagerly… or shun her…

"Yes Akira-chan, it's me," I smiled gently at the young girl, happy that she had begun to smile again – after all, for weeks after that dreadful first day at school she had been wandering around the Sohma complex like a zombie, only eating, or sleeping when Akito ordered her to… but, gradually, she had opened up again, and become more sociable… and now she was just like that lovely little songbird we had all fallen in love with… "What is it that you need, Imouto…?" **(AN: Imouto means little sister, but can be used to refer to any younger person who you are close to. Onee-san is used in the same respect as well, but with older people.)**

"I'm going to go out for a while… but Akii-kun wants to see me later… so would you find me when it's time for me to see him…? There are just some things that I need to do first…" As I looked closely at her, I could see clearly the blissful ignorance in her expression – she evidently didn't know why Akito had called for her…

… What he wanted her to witness with him…

… For Akito was just a child himself, even if he **was** the head of the family… and anyone would be terrified at the prospect of seeing something like the cat's **true form**…

… But, if Akira hadn't been here, then I don't think I would have believed that Akito could have been scared at the prospect… he had always seemed so… _unmoveable_ all the time… If Akira hadn't told me about Akito when they were together, then I probably would still think of him as some unstoppable force…

… But I think he was, at one point, before Akira arrived… He was cold hearted, and cruel to the other Juunishi, especially to Akira's little brother Yuki… but now, his cold shell is going… even if it's only while she's there… And it's only now that I can be sure that the young master could be truly scared of anything… and still he keeps up the façade of impassiveness… because it's what god is 'meant to do'… be the impassive judge…

… But even still… how could he make innocent Akira share in the horror of viewing the cat's true form…? Surely he wouldn't wish it upon _anyone_… **I **certainly wouldn't…

"Sure Imouto, I'll tell him when I deliver his breakfast. I hope you have a good day."

"Yes Onee-san, I shall!" I watched with a mixture of happiness and regret as she skipped away, singing gaily to herself. Wherever she went while singing it was the same. You couldn't help but stare in complete amazement at her. How could such a frail little body such as hers carry so much power when she spoke, and _sang_… Oh when she sang it was absolutely glorious! No one could truly hate her while listening to that mystical voice as it shimmered throughout the estate, lighting up the darkness in our hearts and in the main estate…

But, like all light, when it was gone, it left us in the darkness again, yearning for her…

She was like a little firefly, flittering around, uncatchable, **untameable**… but that was how we all loved her though, wasn't it?

"Hoshi, stop standing there day dreaming and get Akito-sama's breakfast ready! He needs to eat!" The head maid came up to me, shouting. Goodness, that woman _annoyed_ me! Always fawning over Akito, and encouraging his rages, and looking down on anyone else that was in contact with Akito regularly – like Akira and me now that Akito demanded that I take over the housekeeper's role of personal assistant. I was happy to have the job, and not just because of the according pay rise, but because it meant that I could stay and keep an eye on Akira, to make sure that she was never harmed by either Akito or any of the others who came to and from Akito's chambers.

"Yes ma'am." I bowed stiffly to the old housekeeper before walking swiftly off to the kitchens to collect Akito's 'favourite' breakfast… if he indeed _had_ a favourite… after all, he never told anyone anything like that, he just ate what was given to him, or threw it at Shigure or one of the others who annoyed him, which, thankfully wasn't Akira or me…

*Knock, knock*

"Come in." His sharp voice always cut through any who heard it, but even though I was weary of Akito, I was not afraid of him as others were. Maybe it was because I had seen his more vulnerable side… but then again… it was never any of us that were most afraid of him… the people who Akito installed the most terror into were his Juunishi…

"Good morning Akito-sama, how has your day been?" I forced myself to talk to him even though he was in a mood – I could tell that he was nervous, and he needed some stability.

"…"

His silence only confirmed that he was nervous, and I could see his hand shake a little as he took the tray off me, and began to eat in silence.

"I saw Akira-chan go out earlier… where is she…?" His question seemed innocent enough, but I could tell that there was something wrong that only she could soothe, unfortunately, she wasn't here… and I didn't know where she was at all…

"She went out for a while Akito-sama…" I didn't look at him as I spoke, bracing myself for his shouts…

… But they never came…

"Find her, okay Hoshi… I need her…" I was shocked to hear how frail his young voice was. It seemed even more desperate than little Yuki's voice was… and it scared me a little, to think of the two on the same level…

"I shall Akito-sama… when do you wish to see her…?"

"A… as soon as possible please Hoshi-kun… I'll be in the other building, okay…?"

"Of course Akito-sama, I'll try and find her as quickly as I can…" I bowed smartly as I took the tray off him and exited the room, but then I heard one more little thing.

"… Thank you…"

As I left the room I began to think about the two siblings and the way they were. To be completely truthful, you wouldn't be able to find two more different siblings… _ever_. While Akito was cold, and hard – like winter, little Akira was warm, and bright, and happy – just like a beautiful spring evening, come to brush away the last vestiges of the cruel winter, making everyone around her smile… Just looking at them, it would be impossible to tell that they were siblings – after all, their hair colour and facial shapes were polar opposites… and maybe **that** was why people hated her – because they didn't know why Akito favoured her… Looking at the events like that… well it made me sad to think of Akira thought of so just because she wanted to be with her own brother!

With those thoughts I began to search the main estate for little Akira, searching without hesitation or thoughts about the whispers that followed her name around, like shadows waiting to drag the child down.

I spent an entire hour looking for Akira – but I couldn't find her anywhere, and no one else had seen her, either… not even those gossipers…

As I walked back dejectedly towards the main house, positive that I would be disciplined for failing to find Akira, I heard a piercing scream, and the roar of a creature full of pain, as if the whole world was resting upon the things shoulders…

_-------------------Akito's POV-----------------------_

I waited over an hour for Akira to arrive, even having to order the maids to stall the monster's father for a while… but she never did show…

… And so it meant that I had to face the creature… all alone…

I had really meant it when I had told her that she didn't need to come with me and view the transformation of that… _thing_… and yet she had still insisted on coming with me… so that _I _wouldn't be afraid…

Of course, _now_ it didn't matter; she wasn't here at all to be protested to. However… Something within me refused to believe that she had abandoned me though – after all, she had **promised**, and Akira never broke her promises - never. Even when she didn't show and I had to make my way to the enclosure completely alone, I still had that strange emotion within me… that one emotion that I never could grasp, but Akira seemed to be so fond of – and so full of it…

_**Hope…**_

The one thing she lived on… and the one thing I could never receive.

Because I didn't believe in it…

… Because it had never helped me before, and I doubted it ever would in the future.

After all, why should I believe in something that doesn't exist?

So I made my way to the enclosure all alone, knowing that no one could interpret what would happen in the room. Some people would say only god knows… but I don't know, and who else is there in this pitiful world…?

I can only ever believe, and trust myself…

I can only ever let myself get close to my own being, and not let anyone else touch me, in fear that they would burn away my frozen layer of protection that I had so carefully made for myself over the years.

I must not let myself become vulnerable with silly human emotions; if I do…

…Then _**that woman**_ will win.

I cannot let that happen.

_**EVER**_.

So I let my emotions grow cold, in order to protect myself as I faced my nightmare for the first time, no doubts in my mind that it would be the first of many occurrences.

_-------------------Akira's POV-----------------------_

"Sure Imouto, I'll tell him when I deliver his breakfast. I hope you have a good day."

"Yes Onee-san, I shall!" As I skipped away, and out of the main house I began to think about how I would spend my time off – the first time off I had had in a long, _long _time… Maybe I should go to the aviary or into town for a while…

No.

I knew _exactly _where I needed to be now, and it wasn't too far from here, if I ran…

There was only one place where I could feel at home when not with Akito…

The Temple of the God's.

I rushed through the city, keeping out of the view of all those annoying Sohma's who hate anyone who is better than them, and I was target number Uno… much to my displeasure… The back alleys were never crowded at this time of the day – after all, all the weirdo's were still in bed, so it was fine for me to go around without getting hurt, or rather _noticed_, which was the main thing for me, at least for the moment.

I didn't want anyone to see me, and because of that, I didn't think anyone would look for me… how wrong I was.

As I walked down that long Sohma road chills began to creep through my body, consuming me and forcing my body to shiver uncontrollably. It always happened; every time I reached this place… all the emotions within me would well up and spill over, meeting with the spirits of whom I was joined to not only by the blood of my family, but also by the bonds forced upon us so long ago, forcing us to be a human sacrifice for so long…

Silence spread throughout the temple as I walked down the pristine path, the mice and cats scurrying away, the birds stopping their gentle crooning to pay respect to me, soaring down silently to meet my on the last part of my journey… to the shrine…

As I walked the path I knew off by heart, I paid respect to individual graves; those of my relatives, my friends… and lastly to the private tomb reserved for the heads of the Sohma family who weren't Juunishi – the place where my dearest father lay for all eternity along with his family – and I suppose in the future, Ren… but as long as she was alive, this place would always bring me comfort, it just being me and my father together, even beyond the grave…

But, for once, it wasn't my father that I was here to see – I had already paid my respects to him this week. I was here to see something of much more importance to the _**family**_, at least; The Zodiac Ichidou (shrine). Positioned in the very centre of the inside part of the shrine was an alter – a _human sized_ alter laced with intricate golden images and surrounded my thirteen immaculate gardens; twelve belonging to we Juunishi, and the thirteenth belonging to the god. Millennia ago, when this curse had first been discovered within the Sohma family, the elders at the time had decided that the curse should not be seen as a hindrance, but as a thing of utter beauty, even when the fourteen hosts of the generation had passed away. And so they created this shrine in dedication to the curse, where the Sohma's and the curse could reside together in harmony forever, and the Juunishi's and the god's ashes would turn the barren landscape into a place of incomparable beauty – in a way, the ashes turned the land into a kind of paradise where we Juunishi could live forever with our own kind, people who had just been like us, once upon a time…

Rare few could even enter the temple itself though, and even fewer were permitted access to the inner section… just like with the estate I suppose… But the actual gardens… only three people could ever have the privilege of entering the sacred Juunishi memorial; the host of that particular Juunishi, who would soon reside there forever, a chosen caretaker of the garden from the Juunishi's bloodline, in this instance it was a distant cousin of my mother's… and the third person was the god himself (not that I'm saying that the god can't be a girl…), Akito Sohma. We spent hours in this garden as children, and it was by far my favourite, from what I had seen of the others… Each garden had a theme, and I liked the theme of my garden the best of all; song. Decorated as a traditional Japanese garden, behind the scenes it was something far more mystical than just a garden. Everywhere you looked you could see birds, of all species and colours, singing happily in the melody of life. You could sit here for centuries and still be awed by the sound of these birds, and maybe that was why this had been the place for the Tori's ashes to reside, because it was like home to us…

*snap*

I turned around quickly, wondering who was there, but wherever I looked, the shrine was deserted. Still freaked out, I quickly shut the gate behind me, willing my paranoid thoughts of a stalker to vanish, along with all my memories of hurt and pain…

And so when I entered the garden, and sat within the private alcove, I lost track of time, and began to sing in memory of all those that were like me, and were there constantly with me, protecting me from the world's cruel glares, and humanities hardness…

"_All alone, my life…_

… _Abandoned to the world…_

… _Like a broken doll…_

… _My life is left, alone to fall apart…_

… _Sitting here with you…_

… _I can feel some hope…_

… _Hope that is not mine…_

… _You fade away, and I am left in despair…"_

As I sang the lament I thought about the world, and all of its simple cruelties, all those things that people did. I knew if people saw us Juunishi they would call us freaks… after all, it _had_ happened before… but it wasn't **us **who were the freaks, the anomalies, the _monsters_. It was all those people, those… those _humans_ who were the monsters. It wasn't us who destroyed the world, or who polluted the air around us. Being cursed made us all reconsider our lifestyle choices from an extremely young age, and rare few of us ate meat, or drove, or did much to damage the environment without replenishing it… And we weren't cruel, or malicious like humans were. Maybe it was just the animal instincts within us being more powerful than the human part of us…

We only fought, or hated each other due to the survival instincts within us… we weren't jealous, or… or cruel… we just did what we did because we _had_ to, not because we _wanted_ to, or _chose_ to do it… we never wanted to hurt anyone _ever_… not like those stupid humans who were greedy and wanted everything their own way…

As I sung, I barely recognised the world as the hours whirled by, consumed by the sounds of the birds, and of my voice. If anyone had come to visit the shrine, then they would have probably have heard me, and saw me in the garden with the neat white wall, singing with birds all around me, smiling and twirling around me, my long western skirt swirling around me, my scarf flying around like a pair of wings…

I didn't even notice the time as the sun rose to its fullest and began to dip back down to some far-off place… not until the shrine bell rang, marking midday – the time when the last head of the family, Akira, my father had died. Until then I didn't remember anything about what I had been doing before, for I was so lost in the songs that I had been singing… I didn't even remember the promise that I had made Akito… the promise to be with him when he was forced to confront his greatest fears…

_**I had forgotten about him!**_

How could I do that? I had made sure that I would remember! I had… Why couldn't I just remember…? Just one time, that was all! Why…?

I didn't have time to call and wait for a car to pick me up – It was happening _now_, and Akito would be all alone if I didn't get there… I couldn't let him be all alone… I couldn't, I wouldn't…

… I wouldn't leave him all alone to deal with the terror that invaded his dreams… I wouldn't let him be alone as he came face to face with the one physical form that had ever scared him to the core…

I had promised to be there with him, to hold his hand firmly as he committed that almost unforgivable deed… and I had sworn to myself that I would forgive him – no matter what happened.

So I began to run. I didn't stop to say goodbye to the birds that had sung with me this morning – I would make it up to them later. There was only one thing on my mind, one thing I had to do. It almost seemed as if my entire life rested upon finding Akito, even though it felt weird to admit that… As I ran I could feel the gazes of the Sohma's boring onto me – but I didn't have any time to take the back alleys this time. I needed speed over stealth this time, and if it meant being the gossip of some Sohma's for a few weeks, so be it. It would by far be worth it.

Maybe Akito will postpone the encounter… yeah… just for ten minutes more… if only I hadn't left my cell phone at home, then I could have phoned him, or Hoshi, or _someone_… But ten minutes… that's all the time I need to run to the enclosure and be by my brothers side…

As I slid through the thin partition that led to the main estate without anyone knowing that I had entered I crept to the darkest corners of the estate – the section of the estate where the "cat's" ashes were kept… and where the cat's enclosure was, I heard a piercing scream shatter through the air around me, and I knew instantly that it was my brothers…

… But it was the sound that accompanied it that made me run all the more faster to the enclosure, while wishing I could just run away… It was the bloodcurdling call of a monster – _the_ monster… The cat's true form. The sound made me freeze inside, and I wanted nothing more than to run away from it, and sob bitterly at the injustice. But I knew at the same time that there was no way that I could do that.

Because Akito was in there, with the cat… and he was alone, relying on me to come and be with him, to protect him.

So I had no choice within my soul – I had to go…

… Even though I felt more terrified than I had ever been before… Even when my life had been threatened I had not felt _this_ scared… This was a fear within me, deep inside my very _soul_ – my **spirit**. The fear wasn't coming from silly human emotions, but from inside my zodiac spirit, because the Tori was afraid of what was happening… and so was the Tori's god, my brother. That was why I had to go, and why I couldn't afford to have any doubts about it.

I opened the gate shakily to the enclosure and what I saw that day would stain my dreams forever. Crouched in the centre of the enclosure, growling menacingly was the creature – and truly it _was_ something that should only exist in nightmares. Its teeth were spiky and a rotting yellow… and its body shape… it was like nothing that I had ever seen before… It truly installed fear within me… deep within my soul…

… But the creature's eyes… they **weren't** the eyes of a monster, or a killer… They were the eyes of a little boy, of an _**innocent**_ little child…

… They were the blood red eyes of Kyo Sohma, the Neko of the Juunishi…

This younger boy was the one and only thing that Akito feared… but, next to Ren, he was the thing that Akito hated the most as well… _not _a good combination…

Was this hideous form of the cat another part of the curse…?

The _true_ part to the curse…?

How did something like this happen to the cat…?

Was it because his beads were missing…?

If so… _where were they_…?

I couldn't answer the other questions that were rattling around uncontrollably in my head… but I did know, after looking for a while, where the Neko's beads were…

The answer to that question lay with the other figure in the room, the slight dark figure who you would never notice next to the cat's true form – Akito. But… He didn't look like the Akito that I knew and loved – graceful, and haughty, and… well _human_… His face was paler than usual, _too_ pale in my opinion, and _his_ eyes… they were… well… _empty_… just, empty… As Akito stood in that room, facing for the first time the creature of his nightmares, he had let himself be consumed by that darker side that resided inside him, inside all of us, and he had now been consumed by the darkness, his candle of hope extinguished by his fear of the Neko.

"A… Akii… Akii-kun…?" I tried to get to him, to comfort him, to get him out of this state, but his next words stopped me right in my tracks, something I had _not_ expected to happen.

"It's disgusting…" His voice was different to what I was used to as it rang out though the room, consuming the silence. It was harder than normal… It sounded like it had when he had been talking to Naomi Kenta that day months ago… it was a _cruel_ voice… It wasn't **his** voice, not anymore…

"Akito… don't say things like that… you know that you will only come to regret them……" I beseeched as I reached out to him, trying to make him come back to his senses, but it was all in vain, he just shook me off roughly, not even realising that it was **me** that was standing next to me, and he raised his arm up to his face, sneering at the pitiful creature snarling in front of him.

"… and the _smell_…" I stepped back as his cruel words cut into me, even if they weren't directed at me. It was all I could do not to gag and leave the room there and then, the smell was so nauseating… the creature smelt like… rotting animals… I stared in terrified wonder at the picture before me, and at the creature that crouched before me menacingly, and I couldn't help but reach out a small hand to it… I couldn't stop that need within me to comfort the creature, and, to be truthful, I didn't want to stop myself. I wanted to protect this creature, this _boy_ from the cruel words that were being thrown at him, as if I could soothe him with just one touch…

And so I never expected what happened next. Kyo forcefully bared his teeth at me and crouched down lower where he was, springing agilely over me, knocking me to the side as he crashed into Akito, forcing him down brutally before fleeing out of the enclosure via the entrance I had left open. I got up quickly, in an attempt to follow Kyo and apologise on behalf of both myself and Akito but I couldn't – my body wouldn't let me get up and follow him, it just refused to let me move.

_-------------------Akito's POV-----------------------_

As soon as I took those stupid beads that cat wore, and he transformed, I knew there would be no way of snapping out of my emotionless faze, not even when Akira turned up could I snap out of it… not even when she called my name and begged me to return could I do as she had bidden…

… Even though I wanted to…

I was just terrified, terrified of what may happen…

But when I saw that _thing_ attack Akira to get at me… I knew that I had to do something to protect my sister… her lying there unconscious, and helpless upon the floor, just for a brief moment gave me enough strength within my soul to snap out of the state I had been consumed in, so that I could return to my little sister and help her…

I knew for certain now that I had to be strong to keep her strong, and alive… but also to keep myself alive – because if I didn't have a reason to be strong, then I knew that I would reside permanently on that dark emotionless path forever… and… and that scared me the most, I think… because that would be the only way I knew for certain that would make her reject me completely, just like the other Juunishi are beginning to do… because of what I have done…

I think I'd die if she rejected because of that… Die rather than let myself be consumed by the darkness of a life without my Imouto lighting up my path… I would rather die than to continue to haunt her with my presence of darkness and hurt looming constantly over her, weighing her down… destroying her…

_-------------------Akira's POV-----------------------_

"A… Akira… Akira-chan…? A… Are you alright…? He… He didn't hurt you… did he…?" I sat up wearily to see Akito there, crouching there before me, completely back to normal, well… as normal as he could be. The relief I felt at knowing that Akito hadn't permanently been locked in that state was greater than even I could have thought possible. My Akii was back. I was complete.

"N… no… he didn't hurt me Akii-kun… He wasn't _aiming_ to hurt me, anyway… but… Akii-kun… Why didn't you wait for me…? Why didn't you wait…? I… I _promised _you that I would be there when you did this… I was on my way… why didn't you just wait…? Ten minutes… I only needed ten minutes more…" I knew how scared he was, and that was why I couldn't comprehend why he just went ahead without me, why he faced his fears alone…

"Why my little Akira-chan…?" Hr looked at me oddly, as if puzzled about why I didn't understand. "Because I didn't want you to have to see that _thing_. You don't deserve to be punished so. You are the one completely innocent thing in this dark world, and I didn't want to taint you… but it's too late now…"

"Akii… Seeing Kyo like that doesn't change me – you think of 'purity' and 'innocence' as things that can just be broken like that *snaps fingers*. They're not. They're wondrous things that last forever. Like love, and hope, my dearest brother… why do you never understand…?" I knew then, for some strange reason, what I had to do to get through to him – I just had to be me, and continue loving my brother as I always had, as it would be that in the end that would save him, over anything that I did falsely to try and make him pleased, that cold, cruel emotion of him. The only way to keep him alive was to make him happy, even if it didn't please him… Even if it meant acting differently to Akito then the other Juunishi did…

"I… I'm sorry Akita-chan… I just didn't want you to get hurt… and now it's too late for that… please forgive me…" The last part he whispered so quietly, I thought for a minute I had imagined his words… but I hadn't. Akito really had asked for forgiveness… and I would be sure that I was the first one to give it him. Because if I forgave him, and let him see the world on its own for what it truly was… then maybe I could get him to begin to forgive _himself_, little by little… and if he forgave himself, then he could begin a new life, a life with _happiness_ in it…

"Of course I do Akii-kun! You know that I will always forgive you – you're my _brother_… I don't think that I could ever hate you, I said that a long time ago, and I wasn't lying then, and I most certainly am not lying now Akii-kun. Listen to me and believe it… _please_ Akii-kun… please…" I looked up at him, and for a moment I saw hope flicker through them, like a flame… but then it was gone, and despair was the only thing that was left residing in his black eyes…

"You don't…?" His voice was small, but steady, as if he really wanted to believe it, but something was holding him back still…

"No Akito and you need to start believing it…" I held his hand and as I looked into his eyes I could feel his whole body loosen, and he let something fall into my hands, clinking gently in the breeze.

"G… give these back to Kyo please Akira-chan… I… I never meant… I just needed to see… see… I just needed to see if I could face my fears… I… I failed though… _miserably_… Help me make amends though Akira-chan… help me say 'sorry', even if they can't accept it…"

"Of course I will Akii-kun… Have I not already been helping you all these years…?" I smiled gently up at him as I closed my hand gently over both his hands, and the beads, my eyes smiling along with me. "I'll give them to him… okay…?"

"Y… you'll come back afterwards, won't you…?"

"Of course I will Akito! I always do, don't I…?" I grinned as I stood up, pulling him up with me, and began making my way out of the enclosure, leaving Akito standing at the gate alone, watching me happily as I went on my quest.

I had no idea where Kyo would be, so I just closed my eyes and followed my Tori instincts, going wherever they told me _not to go_, because I knew that would be where Kyo, the cat, the hunter would be…

"K… Kyo…?" He was there, lying in a huddle, shivering violently, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. All I wanted to do was comfort him, even though I barely knew him, and even though the first words he had said to me had torn me apart and made me think the world a bad place, even though Akito had later healed me of those thoughts…

_-------------------Flashback…-----------------------_

"Do you really _not_ know? Has the bastard really kept you in the dark?" Kyo smirked, his eyes dancing. "Has he really not told you what the position of that k'so Nezumi is?"

"He's Akito's Okiniiri; he's just a worthless Omocha to Akito!"

_-------------------End Flashback…-----------------------_

"What do **you** want…? Come to stare at the monster…?" I flinched as his accusing words hit me, even though I knew they were not true.

"I brought you these back…" As I spoke I gently slid the beads onto Kyo's arm, and waited as he shifted back into his human form. **(AN: When in his "true form", Kyo still retains his cloths, watch episodes 24-26 if you want proof)**

I sat next to him as he came back round to his human senses, and waited patiently as his breathing slowed to its normal pace, signalling that he had stopped crying… for now…

"Akira-san…? Why is Akito so cruel …?" I was surprised at Kyo's question; it would have been the last one that I was expecting from him. "He… In that room… he… he _frightened_ me… no one else could ever… not when they see me like this… but he… he makes the world seem darker whenever he speaks… and… it scares me… I don't want to live in that darkness, just because I'm the cat!"

"Kyo-kun…?" I turned my head slightly so he could my face – I knew then that I should defend my brother; so I did. "Kyo have you never thought that maybe _Akito_ was also frightened of that world, that dark, forbidding world as well? That he might be showing you in those few minutes what he goes through every single day? That that is what his life is composed of? Because it is his life… and he can't do anything about it. He's 'god', and it means he can't ever show weakness… and the only way not to show weakness to the Juunishi is if _they_ suffer more, so that they don't notice it… he doesn't really want to hurt you… He really doesn't…"

"W… Why are you so close to him…? D… Do you love him…?" I grinned as Kyo blushed, the twelve year old obviously embarrassed that he had asked such a private question. But, strangely enough, I felt obliged to answer him.

"Yes Kyo… But not in the way that you are thinking about. I love him as I love Kaasan, or Yuki-kun… or Ayame-Niisan… I love him because we share a father… because we are siblings…" I closed my eyes after speaking, and prayed that he would believe me; after all, not even my other brothers knew this fact, and here was confessing it to an almost stranger – even if he was a fellow cursed being.

"I'm sorry…" For some reason, when Kyo muttered his apologies, he sounded _just_ like Akito, so reluctant to admit his feelings, and yet needing to…

"What do you have to be sorry for Kyo-kun…?"

"I… But… urmm…" He stopped speaking for a moment, before looking me in the eyes and saying what he wanted to say. "You know that day when we were little, and it was your first day at the main house…?"

Ah, _that _day…

"… I… I'm sorry for what I said, okay? I… I thought… I dunno… I guess I just believed the rumours that all the adults were whispering whenever you passed with him… But I should have known _never to trust an adult_… it never got me anywhere before… except Shishou…"

"Trust me the Kyo. I'm not an adult and I don't care for gossip…"

"Okay…" Kyo whispered before running to the calling 'Shishou' of his, smiling as he was lifted into his adopted father's arms.

A child's innocence is a precious thing, and I intended on protecting everyone's around me…

_**It was just a pity that the one person I couldn't protect was myself.**_

**

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****Next Time on "Blood on their Hands"...**

_"In my short life I had never anticipated that hate of one person could lead to the destruction of another person, a person who wasn't at fault in the event, who wasn't even born. I never expected my mother's guilty secrets to destroy me... maybe that shows what kind of fool I am..."_

**Please Review down here --**


	9. The gift of Prophesy

**Hia! After almost two months I've finally updated! Sorry for the long wait I've just been busy with my other storiesn and stuff!**

**So yeah, your next chapter. Also, you'll notice that this chapter is MUCH shorter than usual! Its a filler, but also I decided to shorten them for my sanity. BUT... If you want longer chapters REVIEW!**

**Summary:**

_"I stood there, frozen and scared stiff about what was happening to me... to us... a hand around my throat... a dagger brandished at the others... my brothers trying to free me... a life about to end... The croud watching just didn't understand, couldn'tunderstand how I saw these events... That I didn't see him as a monster..." _Akira Sohma, the Bird of the zodiac knew there was a connection between her and the 'god', Akito (male) from the moment she met him... But when that bond gets in the way of her family, and fellow Juiinishi's feeling to her, will she be able to carry on competing to love, and hope... or will she be swallowed by everyone else's feelings... _"This is my story..."_

_Dreams. They can show you things you never wanted to see before... and so could fortune tellers... and Juunishi spirits..._

**Please enjoy and review!**

**Kaytii/**

**DISCLAIMER: Until I take over the world in 2012 (which may or may not happen) I do not own fruits basket. :(**

**A special thanks to my new beta: Kyki Yune who has sorted out this chapter so I could post it!**

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**Blood on Their Hands**

_~"…The colour of the world is changing day by day…"~ Les Miserables, ABC Café._

**The Darkness of Youth: The gift of Prophesy**

In a world such as the one we lived in today, knowledge was _everything_.

And I had gained the knowledge that I needed.

I had studied for years the secrets of the Juunishi and of the curse… the secrets of the spirits that possessed us…

I learnt a lot about them as time passed… and I learnt how to communicate with them…

… To talk with them…

… To understand them…

… _To bargain with them_…

You see that was the most important thing I learnt over time, but it was all thanks to those Diaries that my brother had given me because I wasn't the only one who had been visited by my spirit in my dreams… I wasn't the only one whom had been invaded by a spirit… and I wasn't the only one who had felt consumed by her…

… Thankfully though, I wasn't one of the weaker Sohma's… one of the Sohma's who had been too weak to bargain with the spirit…

… One of the Sohma's who had never finished writing in their diary with their own mind, their hands had been forced to write meaningless words on the page… words the spirit used to frighten off other Tori's who read them…

… The Sohma's who had been taken over by the spirit completely and who were left trapped inside their own mind, waiting to die…

Thankfully I wasn't one of those Sohma's.

_-'You should be…'-_

Ah, there she is.

The Voice.

Only now I know her name, so she isn't just 'The Voice' to me now… she's a part of me, a part of me that will forever be with me…

… She is my soul…

The Greeks called her spirit the _"Philomela"_; the nightingale, the figure of song and beauty…

The Italians called the Tori spirit _"Alba Celeste"_; the spirit from heaven, the dawning light…

The Japanese probably got the closest in her meaning though; _"Amaterasu"_; the light; the being from heaven, the spirit who watches over us all from above…

'_Yeah… But you weren't strong enough…' _I replied silently to the spirits alluring tones.

I always had to remind her that, remind the spirit inside me that I was strong enough to resist the lulls of forever being a bird, forever flying in the sky…

… Because I wanted to do that, do not doubt me on that fact; to be able to fly in the sky forever, completely free from all binds would fulfil my dreams…

_-'Only you still refused because you have 'too much to live for', unlike the other Sohma's… it's a pity really, if you had just been a little more isolated… kept away from god a little longer… I must say, your human body and Tori form would have been so much fun to be in control of…'-_

Because I _did_ have too much to live for – My brothers, my friends, the other Juunishi (well, the ones who liked me) and the world. How could I let myself be taken over by the Juunishi spirit within me while I was in a world that contained so much beauty?

How could I give up on the world?

So I fought back and created terms with the spirit within me. Maybe she wouldn't keep them; maybe I would be forced to break them…

But while they were in place my mind was safe, and my dreams were free from nightmares…

That was until the day I was fully awakened to the Tori's power…

I had read about this particular 'gift' in some of the journals belonging to previous Tori's … but I had always hoped that I would not be one of those to inherit the gift…

… Of course, life was never fair…

… And so I inherited the gift…

… The gift of prophecy…

… Or, more accurately to see certain things that the spirit wanted me to see…

I never wanted the gift; for it showed me things I never wanted to see…

Like the death of that one person…

I saw his death before I even knew about the secrets…

***

_The first dream that she sent me was when I was fourteen, two weeks after I had first seen Kyo's true form…_

_But, to tell you the truth it was more a nightmare than a dream._

_The world that I stepped into during my deep slumber was nothing like the one I had fallen asleep in, and it was a place so ghastly that I doubt I could have come up with anything like it even in my most deadly nightmares – even when Amaterasu had tried to force me out of my own mind she hasn't been able to come up with anything close to this in the chilling respect…_

_The place I had entered was a world filled with grey – it was like seeing everything as if it were an old movie… but even though it was only a dream it felt real… _cold_…_

_I was in a hotel room in the vision – the room looked… new, but it was different to rooms I had seen before…_

_This meant that the vision had not happened yet…_

_And… the _smell_… it was the worst smell I had ever inhaled before in my life… even though it was in a dream…_

… _It was viler than even the stench Kyo's true form had produced as he had stood there in the compound…_

_Because even though Kyo had smelt like rotten vegetables on a summer's day, this smell smelt like rotting _flesh_…_

_It was the smell of __**death**__…_

_Someone had __**died**__ in this room I was in now… but why would Amaterasu show me this…?_

_-'Because this is something you need to know about…'-_

_-'But why Amaterasu? Why do I need to know about someone's death?' -_

_-'This isn't just _anyone's_ death Akira Sohma… and this person isn't dead… yet… watch…'-_

_I stood there at the edge of the room, staring at the scene. There were two men in the centre of the room, locked within each other, fighting…_

_Only one, the thinner, paler one was defending against the other, taller one…_

… _And the taller one was winning…_

_-'Amaterasu… please… just let me go… I… it hurts me to watch…'-_

_-'You think it doesn't hurt me as well…? But… we need to stop it…'-_

_I had to stand there; powerless to stop the scene as the two shadows fought… then a woman entered the room. She was beautiful, with long, silky hair and a graceful figure… I couldn't help staring at her awe until I noticed something; she had a bump. It wrenched my heart momentarily, even though I didn't know why, but as the man defending grabbed the woman, she looked straight at me…_

_Her eyes…_

_They were hauntingly beautiful… but they were shaded over, I couldn't recognize them…_

***

After having that dream, I woke up in a sweat, absolutely terrified about what had just transpired inside the safety of my dreams… I couldn't move at all; I just sat there in the centre of my bed in the fetal position, shaking after witnessing the death of someone. Not even Hoshi could wake me out of the condition I had got myself into, and in the end, she just sat there on the chair next to my bed, waiting for me to awaken from my fear. There was only one person that I wanted, no, that I _needed_ to see at that moment… he was the only one who would be able to calm me down at all, to reassure me…

"What do you mean she's been like this _**all day**_?!?" A voice snapped from down the hall, and the spirit within me leaped up to hear it more clearly… and even _my own_ hope rose a little as his voice came nearer, as if he were walking to my room. "Then _why_ didn't you get me sooner woman?!?"

"W… we… you…" The maid (well, I presumed it was a maid) stuttered. "B… but y… you said that y… that you only w… wanted to be disturbed over important m… matters…"

"And so you decide that my own _sister_ is not important to me without even consulting me on the matter?" He snarled at the poor woman then a bang was heard… I could almost feel the anger that radiated him at that moment, even though he was on the other side of the door…

Then he opened the door, it swinging wildly after him as Hoshi stood up hurriedly to bow…

I didn't even look up – I was too tired, and too scared…

"What happened?" I could hear him snap at her, and then her reply, but it just washed over me; I couldn't pay attention, not when my mind was already occupied with issues that scared the living daylight out of my system, leaving me alone… all alone…

"A… Akira…?" His voice disturbed my thoughts, and I looked up to see him there, looking at me worriedly, yet not knowing what to say. I knew I had to be patient with him; after all, he was used to everyone acting humble and terrified of him, not having to be gentle with them…

"I… I'm fine Akii-kun…" I murmured, uncurling and forcing myself to get out of the bed and go to the table where the food was. I knew I couldn't make him even _more_ worried, but I couldn't help the fear that was in my blood now, the fear of seeing more visions like that… and the fear of them coming true…

… And I think somewhere; deep down Akito knew that as well…

"We're going out." He suddenly stated, looking at me as if I were crazy to be doing what I was doing, as if I was crazy to be trying to act normal. "I'm bored of boring people asking me the same boring questions about a boring tradition that I wish we didn't have. We're going away for the day. Hoshi, tells that incompetent maid – you know which one- That I'll be gone for the day and she is _not to disturb me_! I need a day's rest from her utter stupidity…"

"Y… yes Akito-sama…" Hoshi bowed again before leaving the room hurriedly, trying to compress a grin on her face – after all, Hoshi _hated_ the old housekeeper and would do almost anything for revenge… and this situation would have been perfect for her…

"I'll wait for you outside, okay?" He muttered to me before leaving me alone in the room again.

_-'Where is he taking us?' - _The voice began to muse out loud, completely unaffected by what we both had witnessed – the complete opposite of me, really… _-'I hope it's somewhere __**fun**__ – you never take us anywhere fun.'-_

"Does it matter?" I whispered back, turning to the closet to see what cloths had been chosen for me, after all, there was _never_ the same outfit inside there two days running… but even that fact didn't prepare me for the contrast of outfits today.

Because inside there were _western_ clothes… no kimonos, no obi's…

… There was even a pair of denim jeans… I hadn't worn denim for _years_, literally years…

So we really were going 'outside' outside, and not just to Sohma property…

I couldn't help the excitement rise inside me, but then I remembered the vision… the vision hadn't been in anywhere that I could recognize as Sohma property…

_What if the vision was going to happen __**today**__…?_

_-'Don't worry Akira…'- _Amaterasu spoke inside my mind. _-'Just forget about last night… for now… I'll remind you when the time comes… mark my words…'-_

And then she wiped the fear of the dream from my mind, leaving me curious as to why I had been so terrified earlier… Come to think about it, I can't even remember what the dream was _about_… Ah well!

"Are you ready to go?" Akito spoke up as I arrived at the place he had ordered me to meet him at, when I stopped suddenly.

Was _he_ wearing western clothes as well?

I had seen the other Juunishi wearing similar style stuff, but on the Akito who only wore a kimono it was _odd_…

… But not _bad _odd, just odd…

"Y… yes!" I followed him silently, curious as to where he was taking me but nervous as well. The last time I had been out without an adult accompanying me was when I had ran away that time over five years ago and met the Honda's. Although they may not remember me, through time rather than having their memories suppressed, I would always remember them and be in debated to them. After all, it was the young girl's mother who helped me see everything as it was, and not selfishly.

And for that I would forever hold them in my hearts.

Everything was different from the last time I went alone 'outside'. The buildings were taller, the crowds were bigger and the traffic seemed to go on forever. But that didn't change one thing; they all still _stared_ so.

I suppose even now it must be odd to see a girl with long silver-white hair and silver eyes…

But even then, there was a change in the _way_ they looked at me. No longer was the giving me pitying glances, or the concerned ones parents had thrown at me as my ten-year-old self had wandered the streets. No, now the stares were more open admiration and envy… and understanding as they looked between the two of us.

Why was that in their eyes?

I mean, I know we don't _look_ like brother and sister… but that's just because of the curse…

"Hehe…" I couldn't help but laugh at people's assumptions then – it really was funny, and when I told Akito even _he_ laughed as well.

"So where are we going Akii-kun?" I asked him happily as we entered the park and began to walk through it to the field behind it.

"I thought we'd go somewhere unrelated to the Juunishi for once… if that's okay with you… I've heard some of the others talking about the fair… I thought you might like to go…"

To tell you the truth I _had_ always wanted to go to this particular fair – I had heard exciting tales from Momiji and the other younger Juunishi, but never before had I dared to ask – after all, it wasn't worth the hassle if Akito was in a 'bad' mood.

And now I was going…

"Thank you Akii-kun…" I smiled appreciably at Akito, the joy in my eyes lighting them up as we approached the entrance. "Where do you wan na go first?"

"Um…" This question stumped him, and it took me a few minutes to realize why.

He had never been to a fair before.

How could he have missed out?

I suppose that was my queue to show him the wonders of being _happy_ then.

So I took it gratefully.

"Come on; let's go to the haunted house!"

We spent hours going around the fair, and eventually it started to go dark. On the way back we passed a café, and Akito went in to buy a drink…

… But something else caught my attention…

In the alley next to the café there was a tent, a tent with a young girl there, younger than me sitting at a table… with a glass ball in front of her.

Slowly the girl stood up and came towards me, and for some reason, I was drawn to her as well…

"Your waves are… strange…" She greeted me with, and I couldn't help but feel confused… I mean, wouldn't you?

"Hi… I'm Akira S-…" I began, but then she interrupted me.

"Sohma… I know… I've seen you…"

"I… I don't think I've ever seen _you_ before though…" I would have remembered if she'd been around the Sohma estate, I was sure of it.

"No, not seen as in I've seen you in person… I've seen your waves… I know that you're different…"

Okay… I started to back away a little – how could she know?

Was this just a hoax?

But something inside me… maybe it was the spirit… but that something made me follow her into the tent and sit at the other side of the table, looking into her glass ball.

"I wouldn't bother looking into that Akira Sohma-san…" The girl looked at me with her black eyes, black eyes that reminded my slightly of Akito's – when he was in a good mood at least… "I only use it so people don't get freaked out by me… they all think I already know this stuff and that I'm 'conning' them… its better than them thinking that I can actually get into their heads… My name is Saki by the way… Saki Hanajima."

"Nice to meet you… so… what is all this about…? I mean… what have you seen…?" For some reason I didn't want to know, even though it was _me_ that asked…

_-'Get out of there Akira. Get to god _now_ and don't stay'-_ So the bird spirit thought she was bad news huh?

That was the reason why I stayed in the end; pride.

"The same as what you've seen…"

"What? How…? I… It was a _dream_… nothing more…"

"I can tell the difference between a dream and a vision… and so can you." The girl then looked at her watch curiously, before beginning to pack up. "I just wanted to warn you – watch your back."

_Watch my back… why?_

Then the girl went on her way, leaving me sitting in a weird tent all alone.

"Akira-chan…?" I could hear Akito's voice from outside the café and I immediately went over to him, to stop him from worrying about me.

"I'm fine Akito… I just have been talking to a… friend…"

I remained silent over the rest of the journey, the foreboding sense I had creeping me out.

_-'You know it's not over yet… the girl was right…'-_


	10. The World hidden in the Night

**11.05.2010**

**Okay, chapter 10 of Blood on their Hands - sorry for the long wait, but I hope it's worth it.**

**This chapter is un-BETAed, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Please review, and check out my other stories/**

**Kyae**

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As time moved on, eventually I began to forget the vision that I and that physic girl had had… but every time it finally stopped haunting my mind, the vision would return, ever so slightly, so that yet again my nights were plagued by terrors.

And it wasn't the only dreams I had either. Over time more and more visions came, some more recognisable than others – visions of the past as well as that of the future.

But there was one nightmare that I couldn't escape from, not even while awake…

I don't think any Sohma could escape from it.

I was allowed in every single room of the main house if I had a good enough reason to.

Well, all place but one.

_That_ room… the one in which I had seen Akito in that night when I had returned to Japan...

The room was only about fifty meters from my room, in an isolated area of the main house, but when I had realised that the sound of the night birds helped soothe me after my visions, I had begun to sleep with the window open…

And that was when I began to hear the screams.

And it wasn't just one or two nights either.

It was _every _night.

Every single night, without fail, they would come, the sobs and shouts and screams of terror… and I… I was powerless to stop it.

I-I had even gone to find Akito on those nights – to see if he could find out what was happening… but during those times, I could never find him, and by morning after sleep had claimed me I would have forgotten all about the pain I heard… until the next night…

But I wasn't blind – God no! I knew there was _something_ more going on than I could see, and I knew that Akito had something to do with it… I just never spoke to him about it. It wasn't that I was scared of asking him… it was… well, every morning, when Yuki failed to turn up to breakfast, Akito's eyes…

T-they were so… so _haunted_… those mornings he looked so much older.

In his expression, there was fear… and _disgust_…

And it was towards _himself_.

I didn't know what had transpired that night – during _all _those nights, but I would be a fool _not_ to realise that whatever it was, it was _bad_.

It had been three days since I had last seen Yuki, and still he hadn't returned.

"What's wrong Akira-chan…?" Akito asked that breakfast, when he noticed that all breakfast I had just sat there, staring at the wall, not speaking at all.

_-Don't tell him Akira Sohma…- _A soft, alluring voice whispered from inside my mind – the bird Juunishi spirit had returned - , as I took a sip of the juice to stall.

_Why…?_ I thought back, unsure as of why the spirit would be telling me to lie to my brother…

_-Just tell him your fine… I'll tell you later…'-_

_You'd better._ I replied, before smiling slightly at Akito, bracing myself. Because _everyone_ knew that I was a hopeless liar – I just couldn't seem to get the whole process of a lie right, so it would be luck if I actually could get through this breakfast without him realising.

"I'm fine Akii-kun." I smiled as I looked into his eyes, careful not to show any odd emotions in my eyes – because it was my eyes that always betrayed my eyes – I couldn't seem to manipulate them into doing as my head commanded unfortunately. "I just had a restless night, and I'm a little tired now…"

I watched in anticipation as Akito looked into my eyes searchingly, and almost let out a sigh of relief when he gave a small smile back to me.

"Then rest today Akira-chan – I'll tell your tutors that you are unwell today and shan't be attending your lessons." Akito replied kindly, and I smiled softly to myself as I watched the fifteen-year-old set about making calls, finding it strange how easily he could carry an audience, and order those around who were over double his age with ease. Maybe it was the gift given to him by his spirit for being possessed by the kami spirit himself…

I was back to using tutors now... that first day, Akito had told me I was never returning there again... he had been busy for the week after that, contacting people who owed the family favours, and the like... He even went without sleep for a while, he was that driven, just because I had been bullied...

But the end result had been astronomical – even if I didn't think it was necessary, I could still appreciate how much of his genius had been carefully laid into those plans. By the end of the week, the principle had been sacked from the school for accepting bribes, Naomi Kenta had been disowned by her family (or else they would have been ruined financially and politically) and forced to attend Public school, and every single one of the girls there that day, whether Sohma or outsider, had been expelled, all in an attempt to restore the school's reputation.

Of course, Akito wasn't _heartless_. He had nothing against the school personally – he just disliked the headmaster and loathed some of the students, and so he kept their reputation afloat... just.

But even then, after all the fuss had died down, Akito had still been there in the background, snapping up every chance to get revenge on the Kenta's, trying to destroy them in every subtle way he could think of, not allowing anyone but the involved know of his plans until the very last minute.

Of course, during this time the Sohma's had grown more diverse in their opinions of him. Some, seeing his amazing leadership qualities had rallied around him loyally, especially the Juunishi's families, whether hoping to protect their children or for fame, but nevertheless he had the most united front possible.

But behind closed doors the gossips started whispering again, about his temper, about the younger girl who followed him around, but whom rare few knew (me), and, of course, rumours about whether a 'cursed' being, even one possessed by the god spirit himself, should be the leader of the family...

_-Kami-Sama was never as kind to his hosts as the other Juunishi you know...- _The Tori spirit whispered as I walked down the dark corridors of the main house.

_W-what do you mean Amaterasu...? _I asked her, but almost immediately I felt a sinking feeling inside me, like the one you get when you realise something bad. _H-he... isn't strong enough...?_

-_No, Akito isn't, not yet... although it was an awful lot worse when he was younger, before we came... at least now he's __**trying**__ to fight back... but Kami-sama doesn't like resistance – he never has, and so he pushes Akito further whilst in control... when Akito is most vulnerable... __**At night**__...-_

_And so he hurts Yuki-kun..._ I finished silently. _Does Akii-kun realise?_

_-Of course the boy doesn't – do you think he would be able to cope with himself this well if he __**did**__ know what his hands were doing? No... Kami-sama won't let him realise... but Akito Sohma is not stupid – far from it... he knows that __**something**__ is happening when he 'blacks out'... he just doesn't know that it is his body that is committing those deeds...-_

_Poor Yuki... Poor __**Akito**__... how can the Kami spirit _allow _that to happen...? How can he __**initiate**__ it...?_

_-Because Kami-sama is cruel – I have no problems whatsoever saying that aloud. Its fact.- Amaterasu_ spoke defiantly to the air, almost as if the Kami spirit could hear what she was telling me.

_Wouldn't Yuki-kun's spirit __**know**__ that it wasn't Akito that was doing this – and tell him...? _I asked softly, praying that there was a chance Yuki knew it wasn't Akito who was doing this to him.

_-Of course not!-_ She told me scornfully. _–Dear 'Zumea has always been loyal to Kami-sama, and the fact that Kami-sama is hurting her host won't stop her loyalty... unfortunately.-_

_So does that mean that the tale between the rat and the cat is __**true**__?_ I asked slowly, wondering if all the folk tales to do with the Juunishi actually had something right...

_-Yes – that 'Zumea is a right cow – no offence Xen. Of course she tricked the poor cat... she tricked __**all**__ of us. But that isn't Yuki's fault, and the other spirits seem to keep forgetting that. They keep forgetting that it isn't the hosts fault... and so they shun him or her, keeping the feelings of hatred from closing...-_

_Isn't there anything that we could do?_ I asked, willing to do anything to save my brother from the hands of the Kami spirit.

_-No. Anyway, neither Akito nor I would allow you to purposely get yourself in the Juunishi politics. I don't want any of you 'cursed' hurt any more...-_

_You say that after almost twelve years of tormenting me, and trying to take over me yourself?_ I pointed out, not letting the spirit go blameless either.

_-I was jealous and vengeful – I never had such a nice form before, and you would never let me fly...- _She said wistfully, thinking about the days before the curse had begun – when she would have been free to fly through the skies.

_No. I wouldn't._

I broke of contact with the spirit as I reached the corridor, unwilling to hear her protests and/or orders to leave this place.

For I knew how I was going to spend this day.

I was going to find my brother.

And I knew exactly where he was, I could get there easily – it wasn't as if there was any security there to stop me...

The only thing preventing me from running there was some unfounded fear – a fear that if I went there, the Nezumi spirit 'Zumea would go and tell the Kami spirit and Yuki would get hurt more.

And yet I was selfish, I wanted to see him, despite the consequences that might or might not happen if I was caught.

I _knew_ it could end in trouble, and yet I didn't stop my feet from carrying me to that place... I didn't _want_ to stop them I suppose...

Staring at the seemingly normal door, I paused for a moment, wondering what would happen if I went in.

"Y-Yuki-kun...?" I whispered as I slid the door open softly, leaving it open a crack so that I could see where I was going as I lit the little candle I had hidden in my pocket that morning. "A-Are you here...?"

"A-Akira-onee?" A small meek voice spoke from the corner of the room, a voice that sounded so hoarse, as if it had been screaming all through the night...

_Oh Yuki... What did the Kami __**do**__ to you...?_ I thought as I moved closer, my bare feet suddenly standing on something wet...

**Blood.**

Rushing towards my brother, I knelt next to him, embracing him softly; not caring about the blood that stuck to my cloths and hands, my mind was set on comforting him.

"W-Why h-has h-he..." Yuki began to whisper, and I strained my ears to catch his words. "Why has he s-sent you h-here...? Y-You need to get out of h-here... he'll h-hurt you..."

"Yuki-kun... I've not been sent here... I came to find you... I promised to help you... come on, let's get out of here..."

"I-I can't..." He whispered in fear, and I could feel my heart bleeding for the young boy, a child who was so scared of the spirit, that he wouldn't even move without permission...

But what hurt me the most was that he thought that it was _Akito_ who was doing this to him...

He didn't realise that it was the spirit inside the head of the family that was causing him all this torment.

"I'll talk to him Yuki... he-he doesn't know what he's doing..." I whispered, trying to help Yuki up.

Until he recoiled from me in horror.

"Why don't you understand Oneesan?" He asked his eyes full of hate for a moment. "Why do you _never_ see that it's _all his fault_...? _He's_ the one hurting me, not some spirit inside him. Why do you always side with him over me?"

"B-but..." I whispered, trying to explain myself, but he cut me off again.

"Go back to him. Ignore me. I don't care. Not anymore..." He whispered, his eyes closed, a tear trickling down his cheek, and I knew then that he was trying to get me to leave the room.

_Not_ to leave him.

"Yuki-kun, look at me, _please_." I pleaded, waiting for him to look me in the eyes before continuing. "I have my reasons for being with him. But you're my little brother – I love you Yuki-kun, and I'll try my best to help you – no matter what. I'll make him stop... I'll try..."

I stood up then, looking down at my little brother sadly, as he waved a meek 'bye'.

"I-I'm sorry... for getting blood all over you..." He whispered, and I just snorted.

"Don't be Yuki-kun. It's not your fault. I'll get Hatori-sensei to have a look at you... to get you out of here." I promised, before moving through the door, snuffing out of the candle automatically.

Moving away from the door, I began walking down the corridor silently, but stopped as loud footsteps began to move towards me, and I saw the face of the one and only Akito... my brother...

But he didn't seem like he was my brother when he was like that.

His once pure black eyes were now clouded – blocked, fiery red being shown throughout them, preventing any shade of warmth from being shown through them.

Through the red swirls the pitch blankness glared through, the emotions that once graced those eyes now being completely gone.

_-Oh Kami...-_

And I knew then and only then that who I was seeing was the god spirit possessing the body of my brother, the natural power that Akito possessed now being consumed with the dominating thirst of the Kami spirit.

As soon as he was gone, I couldn't take it anymore – I fled, unable to bear the screaming that I knew that I would hear if I waited a mere moment longer.

And despite it, I still could hear the echoes from my dreams seeping through into my life, as those piercing cries thrummed in my ears as I ran, moving further and further into the woods, into the areas of the estate I didn't know as well as other places.

_-Akira, we shouldn't be here...-_ The voice whispered, and for a moment I didn't know why...

But then I saw her.

Standing beside the west lake of the estate, her long, snake-like hair floating around her like medusa, her straight back turned away from the outside life, stood the one person I had ever _deeply_ loathed.

Because of what she had done to Akito.

Every single time he would return from visiting, whether it be official Sohma business, or because of those terrible things the gossips whispered about he would return, like a broken boy, sobbing well into the night, not even the Kami spirit being able to break through his anguish as the boy wept the night away in my arms, swearing and cursing the woman who gave birth to him, because of what she was doing to his life _now_.

Ren Sohma.

Former wife to the coveted Head of the Family, and now a social outcast – no one, and I mean _no one_ wanted to be near Ren – for friendship with her was a one-way ticket to disownment...

Not that many would risk it for friendship with the cruel, violent woman, whose temper was even worse than that of Akito.

But still... there was something about her that made me _want_ to go nearer to her, to comfort her, for as sure as night follows day I knew that she was crying.

The one thing I _didn't_ know, the one fatal mistake was that the tears weren't of sorrow, but rather mirth.

Of _glee_...

"R-Ren-san..." I whispered, automatically bowing, looking around discreetly to find a path to escape.

"Akira Sohma... junior..." The woman purred, her long hair weaving around her cruel face, the coal black eyes distant as they narrowed at the sight of me. "So, so like your father... So much like _my_ Akira..."

"I-I... I..." I stuttered, moving back, but like a panther she pounced, her cruel nimble fingers grasping upon my shoulder, surprising strength being held in their hold.

"Don't worry... I never forgot what I told that _whore_ of a mother of yours..." She snarled, smirking victoriously.

"Don't call my mother that!" I snapped back, trying to bite her, my young body writhing in her grasp, panic overflowing my body as I realised that the spirit within me had indeed been correct – that we really _shouldn't_ be here...

And yet, it was too late to stop the inevitable.

For just as I was about to bite her, I noticed something that sent fear – for the first time a _true_ fear coursing down my body as I saw what power she held in her hand.

For there, resting casually in her pale white hand, there was a pure silver dagger, the Sohma crest upon it marking it as Akito's gleaming mockingly in the dark as she held it poised, ready to strike.

At me.


End file.
